Heart of the Oni
by Princess Keda
Summary: After the supposed deaths of their friends and family, Nya, Lloyd, Pixal, and Misako cope with the aftermath of Harumi's rein and try to move on with the help of some old friends. But not everyone grieves the same way. Meanwhile in the First Realm, the ninja are trying to survive and find a way home. Post S8, this started out as a speculative fiction about S9 but its so much more.
1. Preface

_-  
Preface-_

To anyone who is actually finding themselves reading this:

Once upon a time, my cousin and I finished watching Season 8 of Ninjago and realized how long we were going to have to wait for season 9. Knowing I had a penchant for writing, my cousin challenged me to write a fan fiction season 9 while we waiting. Having never really written a fan fiction and having absolutely no "fandom presence" as I call it, I wasn't really sure I could. After a lot of persuasion I decided "why not?" and started writing just for fun and only because my cousin was the only one who ever was going to read it and I didn't really think I'd get that _far…_

Then suddenly it was like 400 pages long and my cousin was insisting that other people would actually enjoy reading it. So here I am, going out on a limb and letting other people read it…I hope you like it.

Obviously when I wrote this season 9 wasn't out and we only knew a handful of details about it. So I incorporated those details and had fun making the rest up. Here's hoping that my cousin was right and other people actually enjoy reading it…especially now that the real season 9 is actually out. Fair warning; the first couple chapters read a lot like character analysis but after you get past that I promise there really is a plot line.

Happy Reading!

-NP


	2. Part 1

Nicki's Story

 _ **1**_

Nobody knew what to say to Nya. At first, she had taken the news much like the rest of them had…shock, denial, and an overall sense of numbness. But as the time went on, she never cried or mourned; instead she became hard, and very angry.

Garmadon had won, and there were few places that the remaining Ninja could hide. With the help of Dareth, they had located a place in a network of caves out by the endless sea. It seemed that he had come up with multiple plans for countless scenarios, waiting for a day when the Ninja would need him again. At the moment, those who had survived needed all the help they could get.

Nya's war cries and sparring grunts echoed down the halls of the cave. Ever since they had relocated here she hadn't stopped training. She hardly ate and barely slept, choosing to spend all her time and energy in a death dance with her own unseen demons.

P.I.X.A.L did all she could to make herself useful, but it was clear that she was running at a lower efficiency level than usual. She wanted to help Nya out of her prison of anger, but she herself was lost. Like the other survivors, she was suffering from keen survivor's guilt. She had spent so long separated from her friends in her Samurai mask, pretending to be someone else. It had seemed like the logical choice, the most rational way of protecting those she cared about. But though logical, P.I.X.A.L couldn't help wondering if it was _worth_ it. After all her effort to protect them…to protect Zane…she had lost him anyways. She could calculate the irony in the situation—Zane had worried about her safety ever since their reunion. But it seemed she should have worried more about his. She did not regret going to save Nya and Misako from the apartment complex…but she found herself running useless scenarios that involved her continuing her battle with Garmadon's Colossi. She would have been there when it grabbed Destiny's Bounty. She could have…

No. Such calculations were futile. There was no use in running scenarios for something that could not be changed. But knowing this did not stop the aching she felt inside. She had never understood how a program like herself could be capable of such human emotion…but just because something wasn't logical didn't mean it wasn't real. She had not felt despair of this magnitude since the first time she had lost Zane. But this time, he would not be coming back.

Misako was trying desperately to keep the small team together. But her words of motherly advice seemed to only make Nya angrier, and didn't seem to reach Lloyd at all. Only P.I.X.A.L would respond, but Misako knew she was only pretending to save her feelings. Deep down, Misako was mourning in her own way. Ever since she could remember, she had always had either Garmadon or Wu at her side. That was, until Wu had been swept into a time stream. But even then there had been hope; a chance of finding him and bringing him back. But…now? Her former husband had almost killed their son and her as well. And Wu was gone… _really_ gone this time. She would forever be grateful to still have Lloyd, but he was suffering from devastating wounds of the heart and she wasn't sure if he would ever recover.

Misako had asked Lloyd to talk to Nya; sure that she would listen to him. But Lloyd couldn't bring himself to do it. Nya was mourning her brother…her boyfriend…her family. He knew what she was feeling; they had been his family too. But how could he ever even face Nya again, let alone comfort her? When it was his fault that they were gone?

No one had said it out loud, but he was sure that it had crossed everyone else's minds as well. Garmadon had _won._ He had won because he had reached his true potential…and he had achieved that because he had defeated Lloyd. And that was a situation that wouldn't have ever occurred if Lloyd hadn't chosen to take on his father alone. If he had only _known_ that by locking his friends in his room that day, he was sealing their fate. That one choice had ripped away the family who had been there since the beginning.

 _All choices have consequences._

Wu's voice echoed in his mind, and he grabbed his head to will it away. Loss and grief combined with bitter guilt inside, like a tidal wave threatening to drown him. To make matters worse, he had no powers. He had told Harumi that without power and friends, he would stop her. As bad as things got, he would never allow himself to become like that monster. But while he had the confidence to say it then…now he had no idea how to achieve it. Who was he now? When he was young, he was Lord Garmadon's son. It affected how everyone treated him; the boys at his boarding school, the townspeople, even his own mother. And then he became the Green Ninja, a role he had never asked for but tried to fill. Every villain they had fought had seen him under that label, as did every person in Ninjago; the all-powerful Green Ninja. But none of them had ever seen him as _Lloyd._ None of their enemies had ever attacked _Lloyd_ …they had attacked the "Green Ninja." Until Harumi.

Why did her name still cause that stab of pain? Why couldn't he be free of her poisonous snare? She was the first villain who had ever targeted the REAL him; her goal had always been to destroy Lloyd himself. She nearly had.

With all his labels, there were few people that Lloyd felt like knew the real him—the person he was besides being the son of the mighty Lord Garmadon and before he became the Green Ninja. The ones who had known him the best had been Wu and the other Ninja, who had taken him in and given him the first real home that he could ever remember having. He knew that his parents had genuine reasons for leaving him behind as a kid, but that didn't mean that he didn't long for a real family. He had finally found that with the Ninja; he had an Uncle and brothers. Later he had found his mother and saved his father; he had his family. A few weeks ago he even thought he had found a girlfriend, someone else who saw beyond labels and saw the real him. And in a way she had…but not because she had ever cared. Now all those people that knew him…the _real_ him…nearly all of them were gone. Lloyd was left wondering who he even was now, and knowing that everything that had happened would never, ever _not_ be his fault.

 _ **2**_

Nya focused a pressurized stream of water at the pile of boulders in front of her; a makeshift training partner. Its explosion did little to satisfy her…instead she felt frustration build once again. She hadn't been able to control her power as well ever since…well. Ever since they had come here. The more she tried to force it, the more unruly it became. She tested it against the walls of the cave and nearly screamed in anger as her power once again seemed to betray her.

"You seem tense."

Nya didn't have to turn to know who was talking to her, but she did anyway to give a bitter reply.

"I don't feel like talking Ronin."

"So I've heard."

Nya fired another blast of water at a boulder stack.

"How did you even get in here anyways? Dareth said no one would find us here."

"You forget that it's kind of my job to find things."

Something in his tone tripped a warning wire in Nya's mind. She whirled to face him, fists swirling with water.

"Are you here to capture us again? Did Garmadon hire you? How much is he paying you for the last of the rebel ninja?!" She yelled the last sentence, lobbing water balls at his head. Ronin held both hands up as he dodged her mis-aimed attack.

" _EASY_ Nya. I'm not here to turn anybody in. I may be a sucker for gold, but even I have standards; I would never hand you over to that monster. Wait…what do you mean _again?_ "

Nya stopped firing, but she didn't stand down. Ronin cleared his throat.

"Seems like you're having trouble with your power there. Now doesn't that bring back memories?"

"If you came all this way to patronize me, then I'm afraid you've wasted a trip. I don't have the time." She turned her back to him and resumed her attack on the cave stones. "I have to keep training. I don't know if you heard, but I'm the only Ninja left with any powers…and if we are ever going to hold our own against _Garmadon"_ she blasted a large stone clear down the cave "or any of his _biking brutes_ " another stack was blown to bits, "than I have to _be prepared!"_ Her last attack misfired as Ronin grabbed her arm.

"You're never gonna get stronger carrying on like this, Nya."

She jerked out of his hold. "What makes _you_ such an expert?" she asked bitterly.

"I was there when you were trained, Nya. You have to be like your element to control it, remember? Water is fluid, flexible. If you try to control it by being hard and rigid, you are going to run into problems."

Nya shot another stream, as if to prove him wrong. But infuriatingly, the stream once again went awry.

"Alright _Sensei Ronin"_ her voice dripped with sarcasm. "How do you expect me to do that?"

Ronin didn't say anything for a moment. When he did, his voice was softer than usual and had lost his normal brash tone.

"Anger is a normal part of grieving, Nya. But it isn't the only part. If you hold on to your anger and hold back your grief…than you are going to become something you never wanted to be."

Nya knew he was trying to help and she shouldn't be angry at him. But she was, just the same. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her training.

"You've got to let it out Nya! You've got to stop bottling it up inside." His voice was getting louder now, and he once again grabbed her arm. In return she kicked him back. In moments they were engaged in a full on sparring battle.

"Never thought I'd hear all this lovey dovy 'feeling stuff' coming from _you_ Ronin." Nya panted, before using spinjitzu to get behind him. "You have never cared about anyone but yourself!"

Ronin blocked her attack but lost his footing, allowing Nya to blast him across the cave onto his back. He groaned as he sat up.

"Now that's hardly true. Why do you think I came all this way?"

Nya shot water at him again, but he rolled away in the nick of time. "I don't know, to get in my head? I can't see you doing anything without getting a paycheck."

Ronin launched an attack from the side, but Nya was able to block it.

"Wrong."

In a maneuver quicker than Nya thought he should be capable of, he flipped her into the air. She tried to use her water streams to steady herself, but once again misfired and instead shot herself into the side of the cave. As she slumped to the ground, she suddenly felt the fire leave her blood and all at once she felt very, very alone. Ronin seemed to sense the change and approached slowly until he was crouched in front of her.

"I came because I was worried, Nya. Garmadon has control of Ninjago. The ninja are gone, and nobody knows what happened to the rest of you. There is little hope left in the hearts of those in Ninjago City."

He reached out a hand and Nya surprised herself by taking it. He helped her to her feet.

"After I heard about what happened to your friends, I was worried how you might take it. I actually figured it would lead you to this. So I tracked down Dareth and convinced him to tell me where to find all of you…because" here he cleared his throat, "because I do care about you guys Nya. I do care about _you_ …and I'm worried about you."

Nya wasn't sure what to say. If this had been another time, under other circumstances, she probably wouldn't have thought he was serious. Everyone knew Ronin was a hardened thief who didn't care about anyone, let alone a water ninja lost in a sea of bitterness. But something in his tone, the way his eyes seemed filled with fatherly love, finally broke down Nya's walls. She started to cry.

Ronin instantly became uncomfortable. The truth was, he really _was_ new to all of this feeling stuff. He had made a living about caring about nobody but himself, but then he had gotten mixed up with these Ninja. Somehow or another, they had earned his respect…especially the girl in front of him. But now he had triggered a whole new set of waterworks from her and had no idea what to do. He had never seen her cry. After a few moments he hesitantly reached out his arms, and was shocked when she fell into him sobbing.

"  
They're…gone…Ronin" she said in between sobs. "I…couldn't….I…couldn't…"

"Hey…it's alright." he said, trying to sound comforting. He looked around, trying to see if anyone was coming to save him. Angry Nya he could handle. But this? He was way out of his league.

They stood like that for what felt like a long time, with Nya sobbing and Ronin trying to decide between using more comforting clichés and awkwardly patting her head. But despite his discomfort at this new role, Nya did seem to be benefiting from it. The emotion she had been bottling up finally was allowed to come rushing out.

Her heart had broken when Lloyd had told her the news, but she had whisked away her grief as if it had been water, burying it deep inside. She told herself that she didn't have time to cry; she had to get stronger. With everything they had lost, she couldn't let them lose anything more. Lloyd was without power. P.I.X.A.L and Misako were busy grieving themselves. It was up to her to be the strong one, to use her powers to save them…

What she hadn't realized was that grief truly can take many forms. Anger replaced sadness and it had burned up within her. She became bitter and rigid, snapping at her friends and refusing to do anything but blow rocks to dust. Her powers had stopped listening, which had only added to the vicious anger cycle. But now she allowed herself to think about what had happened all those days ago.

Gone. All of them…gone forever…all at once. Her brother had been there for her ever since she was born. Sure, there were times when they had been separated, but even in those times she knew that things would always work out and they would be together again. He had been there when they had lost their parents. She figured that's why he had always been so bossy…but she didn't mind it. She never doubted that he loved her and even if he got overprotective at times, he would always be someone she could turn to. They had always made a great team as well. Occasionally it had bothered her that sometimes he seemed to only see her as his "little sister," but she had long since learned the truth: nobody knew her better or believed in her more than Kai did. And now… she squeezed her eyes closed as more sobs left her body.

Her thoughts turned to Jay. The first time she had ever seen him, she was on the back of a dragon and he couldn't say a word. Talk about a misleading first impression…she soon learned that all he ever _did_ was talk. But that first time when their eyes met…she had felt something. A little whisper of fate told her that this funny, freckled kid would be her destiny someday. He had tried so hard to impress her at first, which had been both flattering and annoying. When would he get it through his head that she liked him for who he was? Not someone he was trying to be. She never could decide how someone could be so annoying and so perfectly adorable at the same time. Their first date…how crazy that had been. But she secretly always felt a glimmer of triumph that she herself was the reason he had ever found his true potential. But what had happened to that spark?

The fact was that she had always been fiercely independent. Despite the fact she had been clear to Jay that he didn't have to prove himself to anyone, _she_ had set out to prove herself to everyone. Jay could get so clingy… and he was so sure that they were meant for each other. But despite that initial whisper of fate she couldn't help feeling that she was getting trapped in something she wasn't totally sure about yet. She was afraid who she was would forever be determined by those she was connected to, rather than who she wanted to be. The day she had seen that perfect match program...she realized now that it wasn't that she had ever been in love with Cole, though he was a great friend. It was just that suddenly she realized that there were _options!_ She didn't have to just listen to the first person who said they were meant for each other and go with it. But somehow everything had become so complicated… friendships were ruined, the spark had died. She felt horrible about it all and finally swore off any relationship within the team. Secretly…she swore off any relationship at _all_. All she seemed capable of doing was hurting people, and she didn't want to hurt anyone else. But try as she might to give up on love, she kept finding herself drawn to Jay. The more her heart pulled the more she fought back. It didn't help that he clearly still had feelings for her. But when Nadakhan kidnapped him…she suddenly found herself more afraid than she had ever been before. What if something _happened_ to him? It was then she realized how deep her feelings really were. Despite everything…she really did love him. And she knew that he loved her too.

Everything had finally fallen into place…after years of wondering who she really was and what she really wanted…she finally _knew!_ She was confident as the water Ninja, though she had never wanted that role. She was finally ok with relinquishing her role as Samarai X, allowing P.I.X.A.L to take her place. And she knew that more than anything, she actually did want that future that Jay had talked so much about.

But now she would never have it, and acknowledging that fact was the hardest thing for her to come to terms with. She had found herself just to get lost all over again. She had to start over.

Nya's sobs finally subsided to shuddery breaths. They were sitting on the ground now, and Nya opened her eyes to look up at Ronin. Were his eyes misty? Or was that just an effect of her own tear-blurred vision? He pulled away with an "uhhh" and hastily wiped a glove across his eyes. She laughed a bit, realizing that answered her question.

They sat for a minute or so in silence.

"Do you…feel better?" Ronin asked awkwardly. Nya's face contorted and he was afraid she was going to start crying again. But she got the better of it and finally met his eyes.

"It hurts…it hurts so much. Way more than when I lost my parents…because these were my closest friends and I have known them for so long." her voice broke, but she didn't start crying again. "But…you helped me realize that ignoring it or pretending it didn't happen isn't going to help. I…I need to grieve them."

Ronin nodded, pensive. He had been in the city and knew that there were many more people mourning the ninja. Many were the townspeople themselves, who had all known the ninja or about the ninja to some extent. But there were also those like himself who knew the ninja on a deeper personal level. He couldn't even bring himself to steal from Ed and Edna's junkyard because he didn't want to have to face their sure grief.

Nya wasn't the only one who had learned something in this cave, he decided. He was realizing how much easier it was to come to terms with loss when you have others to mourn with you. Not that it was ever _easy…_ but easier. Maybe that's what everyone needed a bit more of. He turned to Nya.

"The Ninja and Wu are being mourned by a lot of people right now, Nya. They were heroes and deserve to be recognized as such, and I can think of at least a half-a-dozen people who are going to need some better closure. How about we get working on a little project?"

Nya caught on to what he was implying. The idea of a funeral hit her hard…a funeral meant that they were really gone. She knew that they were, but to have a funeral meant that she really had to _accept it._ But at the same time, she knew that that acceptance…that closure…really _was_ what everyone needed. For the first time in days she smiled.

"Gosh, look at you Ronin. Helping people all over the place."

"Well don't get used to it; this is just a one-time offer. Then I go back to not doing anything without a paycheck."

 _ **3**_

Wu was enjoying his little stick far too much. It seemed that nothing made him happier than a few unmerciful whacks on the unsuspecting body parts of his fellow ninja.

"OW…ok, master or not, you're gonna _get it this time!"_ Jay said, chasing after the giggling toddler who had just given him a welt across the back of his shin. Despite his tiny size, Wu was quicker than one would think and Jay had trouble keeping up with him as he scurried over the rocky terrain. Wu bumped into Cole, who then turned around and lifted him onto his shoulders.

"Cut it out, Jay. We've got to find a place to sleep before sundown. Who knows what we'd find out here after nightfall."

"Or what would find us…" Kai muttered nearby, shuddering at the thought.

The ninja had been walking for hours. At first, they considered making some kind of shelter from the remains of Destiny's Bounty. But Zane pointed out that the creatures indigenous to the realm they were now trapped in may come to inspect something that so obviously didn't belong. His suggestion was to find shelter that better blended with the overall terrain, and thus draw less attention to themselves.

From his heightened position, Wu turned and blew a raspberry at Jay, who turned to Zane in disbelief.

"Hey…you…he…did you see that?! He's _mocking_ me now!" He narrowed his eyes at the toddler version of his old sensei. "Oh, good move! Buttering Cole up for protection! But just you wait until your hulking nanny isn't around to save you, tea-breath! Then you're gonna be _hooped!_ "

Zane chuckled nearby. His smile fell as he calculated the rate of the setting sun. It was hard to make credible predictions about this world, as he had little to no data about it except for what Jay had told them about Mistake's story. But he could now tell with more certain estimates that they had less than an hour of light left.

"We may all be in trouble, Jay, if we don't find somewhere…"

"I get it, I get it. Sheesh. Find somewhere safe, or we're _all_ gonna be hooped. But how does _anything_ in this situation even make sense?! I mean the sun is BLACK. How exactly does that give light? And how did we even get here anyways? And DON'T say traveler's tea, Zane." he added as his nindroid friend had opened his mouth to answer his question. "Cuz I know. But what I mean is don't you have to picture where you're going to use travelers tea? That's how I used it when it took me to my parents…"

"When did you use traveler's tea to get to your parents, Jay?" Zane asked curiously. That did not compute with any information he had stored.

Jay turned a shade of red and threw his hands in the air. "Ah...you know what?! Just forget it. Forget I said anything." He stomped off ahead.

Cole and Kai had reached a ridge looking out on yet another expanse of rocks…and more rocks. The Rock formations were tall and pointed, reminding Kai of teeth from some otherworldly being. He shuddered again.

"This is hopeless. Why even keep walking? All we are going to find is more of the same." He kicked the ground in frustration.

Cole frowned and tried to think of a solution. Suddenly, a small hand tugged at his hair to get his attention.

"We haf ta make a hows!" Wu said, beaming down at him.

"And how exactly does he expect us to do that?" Kai asked, annoyed. There wasn't any building material as far as he could see. But Cole didn't answer; he was too busy looking down at his hands, thinking.

Despite the fact that most of the city…and the country…were mourning the ninja's loss, Garmadon in power meant that the funeral service had to be as discreet as possible. That meant only a limited amount of people could be invited.

It had been hard to narrow down who would make the list. Obviously there were people that they wanted to come, but would be a little too high profile-Cyrus Borg, for instance, or the police commissioner. Others had dealings with the ninja for a long time, like the mailman, but did they really need to invite _him_? They had settled on Jay's parents, Cole's father, Skylor, and Dareth. Ronin hadn't been too keen on the Dareth idea.

"Look…I know Dareth is harmless...but he's also not even remotely 'stealthy.' You're lucky that I'm the only one he's told about this place so far. I don't think he's gonna be a good option to trust to pull off…"

"Dareth has been helping us out since we started training Lloyd as the green ninja. I know he's a little…unique…but his heart is in the right place. I've never had a reason not to trust him." Nya said the last line with a meaningful look at the thief, as if to imply that she had had many reasons not to trust _him._

"Fine. The brown idiot can come."

It was decided that Nya and Ronin would spread the word. It would be too difficult to disguise P.I.X.A.L and Lloyd was still not in good enough shape to go sneaking around the city. So the two set off at dawn, heading towards Ninjago city on stealth bikes that Nya had been working on (when she hadn't been beating the life out of rocks.)

"I don't like that you're coming with. Those biker goons have been scouring the city for you and your friends for days."

Nya felt a small twist of fear. She had never really worried about going against bad guys before…but these ones had left her scarred. She pushed away her doubts.

"There's no way that we will ever defeat them if I don't even have the guts to go to the city." she retorted. Ronin pulled his bike up short, causing Nya to do the same. She pulled off her helmet, confused.

" _Defeat?_ Nya, you guys don't stand a chance against these guys. Face it. They won…and after this service the best option would be for the group of you to disappear and start new lives."

Nya didn't say anything. That would never be an option for them, and she knew that deep down Ronin knew that. But she figured this wouldn't be the last time he tried to talk them into it just the same.

"C'mon. The sooner we get there the sooner we can get out." She started her bike again.

P.I.X.A.L folded another complex paper flower. Ronin had stashed Rex with lots of different supplies, assuming that the run-aways wouldn't have much. It was good that the thief had shown up, P.I.X.A.L mused. By her calculations they would have run out of food soon. He had been able to snap Nya out of her anger, but Misako had seemed on edge ever since he had shown up.

"That's looking great, P.I.X.A.L." Misako had come up from behind her. P.I.X.A.L looked up.

"I thought that perhaps it would make the scene more…appropriate if we had a few decorations." She finished off another flower. "It's lucky that Ronin showed up when he did."

Misako went quiet.

"You do not trust him." P.I.X.A.L said. It was more of a statement than a question. Misako shook herself from her thoughts.

"Oh…I don't know. It's not that I think he came all this way to do any harm… but I would be lying if I didn't question his overall character. He's betrayed us before."

"You think he would turn us in?"

"No. Not to Garmadon. But I also can't see his interests really matching ours. He's no honor fighter."

P.I.X.A.L was quiet as she went over to REX.

"Should we have warned Nya?"

Here Misako smiled. "She can handle herself, P.I.X.A.L."

Her words threw P.I.X.A.L back to a week or so before, when Nya had said the same thing about her to Zane. She had always admired Nya…so confident and independent. But she felt that she had never gotten a chance to really get to know her. Perhaps now they would finally have that chance.

"What are you looking for?" Misako asked, as P.I.X.A.L had been rummaging in REX for the past minute.

"Candles."

 _ **4**_

Cole went to close off the entrance to cave. For lack of any better options, he had spent the better part of their last hour of sunlight blasting a cavity into the side of one of the rock formations. It wasn't pretty, but it would hopefully keep them safe for the night.

"Don't close it off, boulder brain! How the heck are we supposed to breath?" Jay complained, stopping his friend.

"Like this" It was Kai who answered him, using his fire to blast a smaller hole near the top of the cave and out into the night air.

Jay looked at the hole and then back at Cole, who shrugged and closed off the opening. Soon they were huddled together in the cramped, dark space. The only light was weak and blue, emanating from Zane.

"Oh…I wish we had a fire or something. I _hate_ cramped spaces…" Jay complained, wrapping his arms around his knees. Kai lit up his hand in reply.

"But I can't do this all night. Too bad there aren't more plants around or we could have a real fire."

"Oh…I can think of a few things to burn…" Jay replied, eyeing Wu and his little stick of pain. Wu caught his glare and hid behind Cole, poking his head out and waving his stick.

"Bad Jay…bad bad Jay!"

"Would you guys _cut it out?"_ Cole asked, exasperated. He was exhausted after the last hour and didn't feel like listening to fighting all night. He pulled Wu into his lap, trying to calm him down.

"Sorry… _Mom."_ Jay muttered. Cole rolled his eyes. Silence ensued for a few more moments. As usual, Jay broke it.

"Wait…do you think our parents know what happened to us? Or Lloyd…or _Nya?"_

The other Ninja looked up. Zane frowned in concentration.

"It's hard to say whether anyone witnessed the Colossi destroy our ship, or if anyone witnessed us escaping off of it. With no witnesses our friends may have just uncovered the destroyed bounty. But perhaps they will think that we escaped."

"No chance." Cole cut in. "Garmadon and Harumi will tell everyone we're dead. It's the best way to ensure fear in the populace. And we aren't exactly around to prove them wrong."

"Great. So now everyone thinks we died." Kai punched the wall in frustration. "We don't even know if everyone else made it out ok. Last we saw Lloyd was stuck on that tram with Harumi."

"Oh my gosh! What if _Lloyd_ _s_ aw us? Maybe he saw us use the traveler's tea…" Jay cut in.

"By my calculations, the angle that Lloyd would be watching from would more likely give off the impression that we were crushed by the colossi."

"Uhhhgh, then everyone really _does_ think we're dead." Jay leaned back on the wall, and then sat back up. "My parents! This is going to _kill_ them!"

Kai groaned and put his head in his hands. "I'm such an idiot. The last thing I said to my sister was that Ninja don't last forever. I just hope that she can pull through this. She's never lost anyone when I'm not around to help her…"

"Nya! This is gonna kill her too!" Jay agreed, seeming to get more panicked by the minute. Then after a moment: "Who do you think she will miss more?"

Zane smacked him across the back of the head.

"OooOW! OKAY…maybe not the most sensitive question…"

But Zane wasn't listening, already lost in his own thoughts.

"P.I.X.A.L and I were just reunited…and now we have been separated all over again. I wonder what she will think of all of this."

Jay patted his back. "I'm sure your robot girlfriend will be fine." Zane just shook his head.

"I am afraid she will blame herself. She wasn't fighting the Collosi anymore when we were taken or she would have been there to help. She must have gone to assist Lloyd or the others."

"Speaking of just being reunited…we just found our parents. At the moment they're off in who knows where. I wonder when they will even know I'm missing…" Kai added.

"I wonder if Cliff Gordon misses me." Jay said wistfully.

"Who?" Kai asked, confused.

"They guy who plays Fritz Donnagon!"

"And why would that guy miss _you_ Jay?"

Once again, Jay went a shade of red. "Because…because I'm his biggest fan, of course." he finished lamely. Kai shook his head.

"I doubt he even knows you were ever _born_ Jay, let alone that that you're _dead."_

"You'd be surprised…" Jay muttered to himself.

Only Cole wasn't joining in on the conversation. He just seemed to be staring off into space, inadvertently pulling Wu closer to him. The toddler had fallen asleep and was snoring softly.

"Cole? Are you alright?" Zane asked, pulling his friend from his thoughts.

"Huh? Me? Yeah, I'm fine" Cole said, trying to pull off a lighthearted laugh.

"It's ok if you're worried about your father, Cole." Zane said kindly. Cole's fists seemed to clench on their own.

"Nah…no need to worry about him. As long as Garmadon hasn't shut down his performing group I'm sure he will be just fine." he said. He shifted Wu's position in his arms.

"I'm sure that…"

"I said I'm _fine._ " Cole said again, in a tone that let Zane know that he was done talking about it. The other ninja made eye contact, eyebrows raised. It appeared they had encroached on a sensitive topic. The truth was, Cole wasn't even sure his father _was_ mourning his loss. He figured he should feel better knowing that his father wouldn't be sad or angry or distraught…but somehow the thought of him continuing on with his life just as he always had made Cole feel very alone. He had seen it before, when his mother had died. Wu had said that singing and dancing was just Lou's way of dealing with grief, but to Cole it felt like it was his father's way of dealing with _everything._

 _A  
ll that would come of my loss will be a new hit single. _Cole thought bitterly. As the silence after Cole's snap stretched longer, it seemed like a good time for the Ninja to try to get some sleep.

Ronin stared up at the sign in front of the junkyard. Usually it was lit up with blinking neon…but the sign had been dark for the last couple of days. He sighed and willed himself to approach the little trailer in the junkyard's center. He really hadn't wanted to take this one, but Nya seemed more adamant against doing it than he did. Something about a dinner date that she and Jay had never got to have with them, or something. And now they never would.

After he knocked, he could hear a little scuffling inside.

"Oh, Ed…do you suppose that's him? Maybe he escaped after all and has come home."

"Now, Edna…I told you not to get your hopes up." But the hope in his own voice betrayed Ed's true feelings. The door swung open, and Ronin tried not to cringe at the crushing disappointment in the eyes of the junkyard owners.

"Ah… Mr. Ronin…what an unexpected…er..surprise…" Ed said, trying his best to still be polite.

"Look, I didn't mean to intrude on your afternoon…but I needed to share some information with you. Can I come in?" He winced inwardly as the hope seemed to light back in their eyes. He had expected to find the couple mourning the loss of their only son. Instead, he found them clinging onto a hope that he was still out there…and he decided that the latter was harder to watch.

"You're in luck, Mr. Ronin. I just finished up another one of my famous crumb cakes." Edna said as he took a seat on their couch.

"Ah…thanks Mrs. Walker. But I don't mean to…"

"Is our son alright Mr. Ronin? That's why you came…right? Because it's too gosh darn dangerous for him to make his way to the junkyard on his own. That would be too obvious…"

 _How the heck am I supposed to do this?_ Ronin thought. _I signed up to tell them about a funeral, not break it to them that Jay really is dead. Better to just rip it off…like a bandage._

"Actually, Mr. Walker, I came to invite you to the funeral."

The home fell into immediate silence, which was broken by the crashing sound of a plate of crumb cake hitting the ground.

 _Ok…maybe that wasn't the best course of action after all._

"What I mean is…we wanted to do something to commemorate the loss of the Ninja…you know…"

"But Mr. Ronin, our Jay is not _lost_ " Edna cut in, her voice chillier than normal. "Just because no one has seen him and because Lord Garmadon _says_ he is dead….well, gee willikers, that don't mean nothing to us."

"Now…Edna…" Ed's voice was suddenly heavier. He actually was getting on in years, Ronin realized. He was always so perky and cheerful that it was hard to remember. But in moments like this it was easy to see the years weighing down on him.

"It's tonight. I know it's not much notice, but we don't really have the luxury of drawn out party plans." He said, standing. He had to get out of here…Edna had come behind her husband and they were holding hands. No doubt that tears were en route, and Ronin and seen enough of those recently to last him a lifetime.

"The place to meet." He finished, handing them a card. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you…we need you to be as discreet as possible." And with that, the thief hurried from the Walker's home.

 _ **5**_

"Of course I'll come, Nya. I just wish there's more I could help with." Dareth said in his characteristic drawl. She had delivered the news to him and was now leaving his apartment. She was glad that he was home…what if he had been working at the bar? It was once again overrun by SoG goons and she never would have been able to talk to him. She gave one last nod at the brown ninja before heading down the hall. Suddenly, she stopped, and called out to Dareth before he closed the door.

"Dareth…um…make sure that you use stealth, ok? No one can see you goi…"

"Nya, Nya, Nya." He shook his head, as if disappointed in her lack of faith. "Stealth is my middle name! I shall use the camouflage of the chameleon!" Nya turned and jumped out the window as Dareth pulled another one of his eccentric animal moves. She couldn't help shaking her head and smiling at her friend's antics. It was true what she had said to Ronin. Dareth was a good friend. But he also certainly was unique.

One last stop to make, then. Ronin hadn't minded going to see Skylor at the center of town. They agreed that it wouldn't be the smartest move for Nya to show up in the busy restaurant that was undoubtedly full of SoG. But he hadn't wanted to go see the Walkers. In the end he finally relented because Nya just knew that was one thing she couldn't do right now. It wasn't so much seeing the Walkers…though it would be tough to see them at the funeral tonight. But the thought of going to the junkyard, where the team had had more than one outing together and where she had seen Jay at his happiest…her eyes smarted with tears again. It was just too soon.

The last stop was on the outskirts of Ninjago city. She began breathing a little easier, knowing that there would surely be fewer SoG out here. She finally reached the address and rang the bell.

 _Wel-come!_ Nya winced at the cheery song. Though she knew it was ridiculous, sudden noises like that had set her on edge all day. She waited a few minutes and then began knocking. Where on earth could Lou be? Perhaps he was too distraught to get out of bed, let alone answer the door. She knocked again, a bit more urgently.

"He isn't in, deary."

Nya squealed and nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned and was only barely able to stop her karate-chop to the face of the old woman behind her. The lady looked unimpressed.

"Oh…so sorry mam. You just startled me. Do you happen to know when he will be back?"

"Hmmm hard to say. He's pretty famous, you know. Part of that Royal Blacksmith group." Here the old lady sighed, almost infatuatedly. Nya resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "He's been out practicing with them for days. They have a lot of concerts coming up." She pointed at a poster on a nearby tree before hobbling off. Nya went to look at the poster.

 _Royal Blacksmiths, like you've never seen them before! Full week concert!_

A _concert?!_ Garmadon was in control and Cole was dead and his Lou was off practicing for some _Concert?_ She could hardly believe it. She had heard that in the past Cole and his father had had a rocky relationship, but supposedly they had worked through all that. But this? This was ridiculous. She felt herself getting angry all over again and tore the poster off the tree, wadding it up in a little ball. Then she calmed down a bit.

She looked back at Lou's house. Maybe the lady was wrong…maybe his neighbors didn't know that Cole was his son and assumed Lou was off practicing when he was really off mourning. But either way, he wasn't home. Now she was at a loss for what to do. Did she leave a note and put it through the door? But what if he never found it anyways? Or what if he did and went to the address days later, only to find that the funeral had long since passed and someone had just tricked him into wasting his time? What if the note somehow fell into the wrong hands? She knew the last scenario was silly, but she still didn't feel all that comfortable leaving a top secret note like this anywhere but in the actual hands of the person themselves.

She wouldn't leave the note. But it felt wrong to give up so easily. She caught up with the old lady again.

"Excuse me, mam? Do you happen to know where he would be practicing?"

"Well, we survived our first night at least." Kai said, stretching out. The ninja were up and out of their cave, trying to get their limbs working again. They weren't used to sleeping on cold rock in cramped places, and they had woken to find themselves quite stiff.

"I knew we should have stayed with the bounty." Jay complained. "Even sleeping on wood would be better than _that."_

"Quit your whining, would ya? We're in for another long day today and I don't feel like listening to you complain the whole time." Cole said. He was busy eating the breakfast that Zane had made. The Nindroid had been the first to wake up that morning and had surprised the rest of the ninja with breakfast made of mysterious lumps on sticks. Nobody knew what it was…and nobody wanted to ask.

"Well _someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the rock formation…" Jay grumbled, eyeing his own mystery skewer with distrust. Suddenly, a little hand shot out and grabbed it.

"Hey! That's MINE!" Jay yelled at Wu, seeming to forget his wariness towards his breakfast. A chase soon ensued that involved running circles around Cole. Jay suddenly tripped, knocking Cole's own breakfast into the dirt.

"Are you _kidding me?!"_ He scooped up Wu, who giggled and gummed Jay's stick. Cole turned to glare at Jay.

"You always take his side!" Jay whined, and then stuck his tongue out at Wu.

"Because he's like…what….3? And you _should_ be acting like an adult by now. But obviously that's too much to expect from you."

"3?! This is _Wu!_ He's like hundreds…maybe even thousands of years old! Not that _that_ has ever made any sense but if we are going off of AGE then…"

"Just shut up and get another stick, Jay. I'm not in the mood to deal with you today"

A few yards away, Kai and Zane shared a look. "Here they go…" Kai murmured. They held back as their friends' argument grew more heated.

"Well who died and left _you_ in charge, Cole?! I don't remember taking a vote…"

"Well if I'm the only one acting like and _adult_ around here…"

"All you're _acting_ like is a jerk!..."

"Would you just SHUT UP JAY…Shut up and _GROW UP…_ "

"I get it, ok?! You're upset because _no one_ at home _even cares_ that you're gone! But you don't have to take your bad mood out on US!"

Cole flashed with a sudden rage, and Jay flinched at the sight of color in his friend's arms. He had regretted saying it almost immediately, but pride kept him from apologizing too quickly.

Zane and Kai looked on with a mix of disbelief and wariness. They were used to Jay and Cole's fights, but everyone in the group sensed that this time Jay had gone too far.

The color left Cole's arms as he seemed to catch himself. Without making eye contact with anyone, he set Wu on the ground.

"I'm going for a walk." He turned and began to move briskly away from the group.

"Cole…" Kai started

" _Alone."_

Everyone else looked at Jay, but for once the blue ninja was silent as he stared at the ground.

"You really did it this time, Jay." Kai said, arms crossed. Zane's face was a picture of parental disappointment. Even Wu was shaking his head as he muttered quietly.

"Bad Jay…bad bad Jay."

21


	3. Part 2

_**6**_

"One more, and then we can head out of here." Ronin muttered to himself, walking to the restaurant at the end of the street. He didn't know much about this chick, but Nya and Lloyd were adamant that she would want to be invited to this shindig. Maybe she was _especially close_ to one of the ninja. He couldn't help wondering who it had been.

He passed one of the many televised screens in the city. Ever since the ninja had been defeated, all the screens had been spewing Garamdon propaganda. Some segments described in detail the death of the ninja, including live footage of Lloyd getting thrown through walls. It was meant to keep the citizens in check—serving a painful reminder at the strength of their new self-proclaimed emperor. But Ronin had a feeling that the familiar, four-armed monster wasn't the true leader of Ninjago. His hunch was that Harumi, former princess turned sociopath, had the real control. At least that was the vibe that Ronin got from the whole situation; she was the one who made all the speeches and seemed to call all the shots. He wondered how long that dynamic would hold…he doubted that villains were all that good at getting along with each other. A sudden flashback came unbidden to his mind…the day he had betrayed the ninja and had been betrayed by Morro in return. He shuddered as his body recalled the feeling of possession and willed the memory out of his mind. Nothing good ever came from siding with a villain.

The televised screen lit up with an "URGENT" message. This was one that had been playing for days. It featured Gail Gossip, famous Ninjago news reporter, warning the citizens of the city to be on the lookout for the remaining ninja rebels. She described them as armed and dangerous, and always made sure to insinuate that anyone caught helping them would be very _very_ sorry.

"The best thing to do to protect yourself and your neighbors is to turn in any ninja sighting as quickly as possible to the closest member of the SoG…." Gail's voice rambled on.

Ronin wondered what kinda price Gail had been bought for. Or what kind of threat kept her loyal to the new rulers. He had reached the restaurant and pushed through the door. Sure enough, there were enough SoG here to cause a problem or two. He was glad Nya had agreed to let him come. He sat at the bar as different dishes passed by. Now…how to get the attention of the owner? Who even _was_ the owner?

He shouldn't have worried. A couple of biking goons near the back had started getting a little too rowdy. After breaking quite a few dishes and part of the table, it wasn't long before a girl with a long red ponytail burst out of the kitchen doors. Ronin couldn't help feeling he had seen her somewhere before. She approached the ruckus table as one of the bikers chucked another dish.

"You're obviously new here. I'm afraid that I have the right to refuse service to anyone…" she started coldly, eyeing the two trouble-makers. "So either calm down or I'll have to show you the door."

"Eh, who are _you_ to talk to me like tha?" One of the bikers asked, stumbling to his feet. " _I'm_ part of the SoG…and we don't take orders from _nobody."_

"You wanna roughhouse? Head to Laffy's. But I'm not having this kind of behavior in _my_ restaurant."

"Why you…" The biker attacked, but the red-head was light on her feet. Even with it being two on one they found themselves quickly disarmed and thrown in the street. Ronin couldn't help being impressed. He looked around the restaurant to see how the other SoG would respond, but none of them seemed too bothered. In fact most were chuckling. Whoever this red-head was, she seemed to have earned some level of respect from the bikers.

As she passed his table, Ronin looked up from the paper he was pretending to read.

"Gosh, aint it sad to see what the world's coming to, sweetheart?"

She smiled at him, but her eyes were hard.

"You care to join them?" she asked sweetly.

"Nah…pity to leave before I've had something to eat. But I must say you've impressed me. I'd be a fool not to at least leave my number." He handed her the card with the address on it.

She almost didn't even bother looking at it. But her glance caught the words he had scribbled on the top.

 _On behalf of Kai…_

She turned slightly pink and grabbed the card from him, making sure that to the SoG it looked like she was seconds away of throwing it in the trash. But Ronin had seen her expression and knew that she wouldn't.

Kai, huh? He smirked and helped himself to a passing dish. He had guessed right.

 _Cole_

Cole looked over the landscape. It really did all look the same…what were they even supposed to head for? What goal did they have? Normally they had at least some kind of purpose…some kind of relic to find or villain to fight. But now? How would they ever get home?

"Wow…when you want to be alone…you _really_ want to be alone…"

It was Kai, panting as he pulled himself over the ridge of the rock formation that Cole was sitting on top of. Cole sighed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that. Have you been looking long?"

"Nah" Kai said, with his characteristic smirk. "All I had to do was find the tallest thing to climb in the area. Figured you'd be on top of it."

Cole made a move to stand. "I guess we should be heading back."

Kai shook his head and sat down next to Cole.

"No rush. It's not like there's somewhere to be, anyway."

The two friends sat for a few minutes, gazing over the landscape and not saying anything. Finally Kai spoke up.

"You know…I really admire you Cole."

Cole just looked at him, incredulous.

"I don't know how you maintain your cool around Jay like that. I mean…he's a great guy…but sometimes I'm amazed you don't knock his head in. You've got a lot of self-restraint."

Cole laughed, but without humor.

"I guess….I mean…sometimes I just want to pummel the guy! But he's my best friend… I shouldn't have been so hard on him."

Kai shook his head slightly. He looked back at his friend.

"Cole…you're the strongest person I know. And not just physical strength, either. But no one ever said that being strong is something you have to do alone."

Cole was silent.

"We're here for you, you know? If you wanna talk, I'm here to listen. If not, that's fine…but you got to stop trying to hold the world together on your own. That's not what family is about."

Cole swallowed, not making eye contact. Kai was beginning to think he had picked the not talking option when he started speaking softly.

"It's just that…" he stopped, not sure if he could articulate what he was feeling...or if he even wanted to. After a few moments he started again.

"I've had a lot of fears over the years, you know. Dragons...ghosts…you name it; I'm sure you remember. But the thing that scared me the most was on the day of the departed, when I thought you had all…you know…" Cole trailed off. Kai felt a twist of guilt inside. To this day, they still didn't know if forgetting Cole was something that Yang had caused or something that they had done themselves. It was certainly something none of them were proud of.

"I know my Dad. He's probably at the performance hall right now practicing for some concert or another. And it just feels like I've been…forgotten. Again." He finished lamely, purposely not looking at Kai. Cole didn't talk about his feelings much. It left him feeling vulnerable…and stupid. He was already regretting saying anything.

"That makes a lot of sense, Cole." was all Kai said. What else should he say? He wasn't always the first to rush to emotional aide…but he had known Cole needed someone to be there for him right now. Cole and Jay were so close…except for the times they weren't. But when either of them was out of it, it was generally the other who went to the rescue. But in this instance Jay was not a good choice. Zane had a heart of gold, but he was also a fixer and Kai knew that Cole probably didn't want to be "fixed" right now. Kai and Cole had always had a lot of respect for each other, but they didn't really talk much other than the occasional sarcastic quip. But today Kai had wanted to reach out a bit more, one "tough guy" to another.

"Hey Kai."

He looked up to see Cole looking at him with a small smile.

"Thanks."

 _ **7**_

As much as she wanted to find Lou, Nya had been hoping that he wouldn't actually be at the performance center. As she entered the backstage area, the sound of a barbershop quartet made her blood boil. Again she wondered why he would be performing so soon after…well. After the events from a few days ago.

"Alright, everybody! Take five!"

Lou's voice sounded so cheerful… _how_? He left the stage and grabbed his cane before heading over to the refreshments placed in the wings. Nya glared at him while he approached.

"What are you doing here?" She asked coldly. She knew she just needed to invite him and get out of here. Ronin had been buzzing the communicator on her arm for the past few minutes; he wanted to head out. But that deeply rooted sense of justice made it so she couldn't just ignore that fact that one of her best friend's _father_ didn't even seem to care that he was gone.

Lou looked up, but didn't recognize her in her disguise.

"Sorry, miss. We still have the hall scheduled for the next few hours. Big performance coming up, you know." He finished with a wink and then reached for a piece of cake. He didn't seem to notice her glaring as he took a bite.

"Mmm… this. is. incredible. You know," he said with a disarming smile in Nya's direction. "I've always been a big sucker for cake."

Something broke inside her.

"Oh, _really_? Must be where _Cole_ gets it from. Or should I say… _GOT_ it from." She was satisfied to see him flinch at the mention of his son; he hadn't been expecting that.

"What are you doing here Lou? Your son…he… _died_ and you're here eating cake and singing your heart out instead of…of…"

"Instead of _what?_ " Lou met her gaze, and Nya was shocked to see an inner fury in his eyes. She had seen that in Cole sometimes; she was beginning to see more and more of her friend in the man in front of her.

"What is it that I _should_ be doing…miss?" The last word came out as almost a hiss. Nya was at a loss for words. What was it that she wanted him to be doing? Crying? Sitting alone at home, unable to cope with his loss? Maybe not…but surely not just acting like nothing had even happened.

After a few more moments of the two staring at each other, Nya pulled the card out of her sash and put it on the table.

"Some of us are gathering to give the ninja a proper send off. We made you this invite because we assumed you'd want in. Come…or don't. I don't care." And with that, Nya left, slamming the door behind her. Lou watched her go, and then looked down at the card. He picked it up and almost threw it in the trash. At the last minute however, he paused and took a long look at it. He tucked it into his breast pocket, behind his red pocket square. Then he made his way back on stage to his performing group.

"Alright, fellas. From the top! And _this_ time…with _feeling!"_

 _Jay_

Jay sat, head in one hand as he used his other to draw circles in the dirt. His insides were a jumble of emotions ranging from wounded pride to shame and guilt.

About twenty minutes after Cole had stormed off, Kai said he was going to go look for him. Now the time had stretched to nearly an hour but so far neither of them had returned.

Zane sat nearby with Wu. The toddler hadn't been as high energy since that morning and was leaning on Zane, looking off into the distance and frowning. Jay looked over at them and groaned in annoyance.

"Are we just all gonna sit here, depressed, or are we actually gonna go _do_ something?!"

Zane looked at him, serious faced.

"Like what?"

"Like…I don't know, going to find our friends! And figuring out what the heck we are supposed to be doing and how we're gonna get home…"

"It would be unwise to go look for our friends at this point, because chances are they are headed back to this location and we may miss each other. As for getting home…I am afraid I do not have any ideas."

Jay threw his hands up in frustration.

"That's the whole problem! _None_ of us have any ideas! We are in a totally different realm with no direction and no way home. The only one who could actually provide some answers is our sensei, who…oh yeah…happens to be a _baby_ now and can barely talk in complete sentences!" He gestured to Wu, who had left Zane's side to chase some sort of jumping bug across the dirt.

"Hop…hop…hop…"

Jay looked at Zane and then back to Wu and gestured again.

"I rest my case." He turned back to look in the direction Cole had gone. "Argh…where _are_ they?!"

"Perhaps you could show a little more patience Jay, considering that it's your fault Cole left in the first place."

Jay felt guilt twist in his stomach.

"I didn't _mean_ to say it…"

Zane didn't look impressed.

"It's just that Cole was being so sullen and unfair and _bossy_ , and then we got in that argument and it just…just _slipped out._ "

"It was a pretty harsh comment, especially considering how upset he seemed last night."

The guilt twisted deeper.

"Ugh, Zane, you're not helping!" Jay said, putting his head in both hands. "I already told you I know I shouldn't have said it!" He was quiet for a moment, and then looked over at his nindroid companion.

"You don't think...like…I mean, _how bad_ would you say it was?" Jay asked incoherently. Zane came to sit closer to him.

"I'm afraid I do not understand your question…"

"It's just that Cole has never stormed off like that…sure he's been mad before. Like we have arguments all the time and he yells and I yell but in the end we just sort of move on. But this time he _left_ and he's never done that before and…" Jay stopped, a sudden fear hitting home.

"And what?"

"And what if we aren't friends anymore, Zane?! Like what if he just gave up and ran off and isn't coming back…"

"I believe that would be highly unlikely."

"Yeah, ok, so he'll probably come back…but will we still be friends? He's been a real party pooper lately but he's my best friend. I already lost that friendship once and I really, _really_ don't want to lose it again." He put his face back into his hands.

Zane put a hand on his friend's back.

"Friend's make mistakes, Jay. I think the best course of action would be to apologize. I'm sure that Cole will come around…he usually does."

Jay was quiet for a minute and then sighed.

"Yeah…I guess you're right, Zane."

"Of course I'm right," Zane said, with a teasing smile. "I'm a _nindroid._ "

Jay chuckled. "Well…I shouldn't have to be the _only_ one apologizing since that little runt started it…" Jay gesturing again to the toddler. Or at least, where the toddler used to be.

Zane and Jay jumped to their feet.

"Oh shoot, where'd he go?!" Jay said, looking around in a panic.

"He was just here…how did we not see him leave?" Zane was baffled. How did Wu escape his notice?

Jay groaned.

"Oh great, like Cole wasn't going to kill me before! If we don't find him before he gets back than I am officially going to be the most _hooped_ person alive!"

Zane ran his scanner and picked up small footprints in the dirt.

"He went this way!" He said, pointing. He and Jay began running, with Zane keeping a close eye on the footprint path. Suddenly he stopped, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Wait, why'd you stop? What is it?" Jay asked, looking around for a threat that might have caused his nindroid friend to halt.

"It's the footprints…they seem to suddenly get, well, _larger._ "

Jay rubbed his temples with his hand.

"Are you saying what I _think_ you're saying?!"

"It appears as though…"

But Zane's prediction was cut short by a chuckle. The two friends looked up to see a figure step out from behind a boulder.

"Looking for me?"

 _ **8**_

The place they had chosen for the funeral was off the coast of the endless sea. Something about watching all the waves crash in the starlight calmed Nya. She heard someone walking behind her and turned, thinking it was P.I.X.A.L with more decorations.

It was Lloyd. Seeing her turn caused him to freeze, like a deer caught in headlights. Seeing him had caught her off guard as well. Ever since _that night_ they had been tiptoeing around each other. The truth was that Nya was happy that he was ok. Seeing him on Mistake's table, back when there was that chance that he wouldn't pull through seemed like a nightmare. She cared about Lloyd a lot—they had known each other since he was just a kid, before he had ever been the green ninja.

But she was also angry.

Ever since her talk with Ronin, she had been trying not to be. And the truth was that she wasn't mad at Lloyd. So maybe the feeling she was looking for wasn't anger, but hurt.

Why had he gone to face his father alone? Why had he locked them in that room? Didn't he trust them? Hadn't he needed them?

And now, everyone was gone…

 _It's not his fault._ Nya reminded herself once again. There really was no use at pinning blame on any of them. The true culprit was Harumi. If it was anyone's fault, it was hers—everything that had happened was because of her own twisted need for revenge.

Nya had been staring at him for a long time, and Lloyd couldn't read her face. He was glad she didn't seem so angry anymore…but he couldn't help feeling like that didn't mean he was forgiven. Not that he blamed her. He hadn't forgiven himself either.

"So…how did the invites go?" He asked, trying to make conversation. He winced at how awkward it came out. Once upon a time, they could talk freely.

"Oh. It was fine." He noticed a flash in her eyes, as if she was remembering something that had made her angry. But it was gone as soon as it came, leaving him to wonder if he had imagined it. She turned her attention back to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, better. Yeah, a lot better." It was true…at least on a physical level. His father had left him in bad shape, but every day he felt his body get stronger with less aches.

"And your powers…?"

"No."

Those still hadn't returned. Lloyd wasn't sure what role his powers had played in everything that went down, but even as his body got better his powers remained absent. It was such a strange feeling to be without them.

"I'm sorry."

She really did look sorry too. Maybe she didn't _totally_ hate him after all. He hoped there was still some kind of chance for their friendship. He really couldn't bear losing anybody else.

"Well…I better go help P.I.X.A.L with those decorations." She continued, giving him one last smile. He watched her go over to REX to help their robot friend pull strings of flowers, lanterns, and candles out. It wouldn't be a long service, or one that could really give their friends the recognition they deserved. But P.I.X.A.L wanted to be sure that it was as good as possible. She had missed Zane's first funeral, but this time she wanted to be there with everyone else.

"P.I.X.A.L, you did a great job with all these decorations" Nya said, helping her friend hang flower strings on tree branches.

"Thank you, Nya. There's just something…human about decorating a place for an event." Her voice sounded so sad.

Nya felt a little guilty, realizing how much P.I.X.A.L had been hurting these last few days. Knowing her, she probably hadn't talked to anyone about how she was feeling; P.I.X hated feeling like any kind of burden. Before she could think better of it, Nya pulled P.I.X.A.L into a hug.

"What is this for?" P.I.X.A.L asked in surprise. She couldn't recall any other time in her data base when Nya had hugged her.

"Because…I know you're hurting P.I.X. I mean, we are all hurting. You shouldn't have to keep all yours inside just because I've been on such a warpath."

P.I.X.A.L didn't answer right away.

"I just wanted to be helpful…"

"Oh _Pix_. You've always been helpful. I can't think of a single time when you _haven't_ been helpful." They placed Lanterns around the area on the beach where they would have the service. "But I want to help _you_ too. Just because someone else wants to help you doesn't mean that you have become unhelpful…it just means that they want to be helpful…too…um…does that make sense?" Nya never could explain things in the way she wanted. She also felt especially incoherent next to her logical friend, who always spoke in a perfectly clear way.

"I understand what you mean, Nya." P.I.X.A.L said, smiling at her. "And I appreciate it."

Misako approached the two girls, who had finished setting up.

"Not a moment too soon, you two. It looks like the first people are starting to arrive." They turned to see Dareth swaggering down the beach, dressed in his brown ninja costume. Skylor wasn't far behind him. Nya realized she hadn't seen their red-headed friend in a long time. She found herself wondering how Ronin managed to invite her without anyone catching on.

"Who else are we waiting for?" Lloyd asked, looking down the beach to catch sight of anyone else.

"The Walkers." Nya answered.

P.I.X.A.L looked confused.

"But what about…"

"Just the Walkers."

 _Lou_

By the time Lou reached home the moon was shining and he was exhausted. He dug through his pockets for his keys, trying to steel himself for the hours to come in his quiet house. Perhaps he would write another song.

He pushed the door open and flicked on the light.

"Hello Lou."

Lou looked up in alarm. There, on his couch, a young woman was relaxing as if she owned the place. Her hair was long and pale, and under it a jagged red scar. His blood ran cold.

"Sorry to barge in. You weren't at home, see. But I hate to see you stuck on that doorstep…come on in." She sounded so polite, so royal…but also deadly. Very deadly.

Lou heard something behind him and turned to glowing red eyes. The unknown assailant had a knife to his back. He slowly walked into his house.

"I'm afraid we have a bit of a problem Lou. One of your neighbors reported a ninja sighting in the area. And apparently, she was looking for _you."_

Lou still didn't say anything, never looking away from the red-scarred witch. He knew who she was…and what she had done.

Harumi motioned for him to come take a seat next to her. He clenched his jaw and, cane in hand, slowly made his way over to her. He refused to sit.

"Oh yes, her good neighbor Lou…a performer of the _highest_ quality, was being targeted by a Ninja girl," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course, at first I thought it was silly. What on earth would the Ninja want with a performer? Maybe they just needed someone to sing them their lullabies…I know a good lullaby or two myself, you know. Anyway, I sent Mr. E to have a look. And what do you know? He found this."

She tossed a picture onto the table in front of them. Her voice gained a threatening tone. "How do you explain this picture, Lou?"

But he was no longer looking at her; in fact, he could no longer hear her at all. The picture was of the four ninja, with Cole holding aloft the fang blade they had just earned. He had been so proud that day…so proud…

The one called Mr. E knocked him to the ground and out of his reverie. His cane clattered across the floor.

"Are you even _listening_ Lou? What connection do you have with the Ninja, and where are the survivors?" Harumi's voice had lost its sweetness.

"I think _I_ know…" a sinister sing song voice came from the back of the house. A woman with strange purple skin and a high black ponytail walked into the room and over to Harumi.

"Oh-ho-ho, did you start _playing_ without me?" She asked, sneering down at Lou. Harumi took a small picture from her hand. As the former Quiet One looked down at it, understanding lit up in her face.

"Oh, of _course._ I should have seen the family resemblance. You have the same eyebrows…" She crouched down in front of Lou, who had propped up on one arm to continue his silent glare. "…And the same _stoic_ expression." She started to laugh cruelly.

"I never would have guessed Cole came from performing stock, not with that _awful_ voice of his." Harumi taunted. "Honestly, we did everyone a favor by silencing him…"

Lou's attack almost reached her, but Harumi was faster. In a single motion she grabbed his arm and threw him across the room. He hit his trophy table hard, knocking winner's cups and medals to the ground. His eyes closed in pain.

"That explains why Nya came looking for you, Lou. Don't try to pretend like she didn't find you…ninja always finish the job. Well… _almost_ always." Harumi was done mocking him; she wanted answers. "What was it she wanted to talk to you about? _Where are the survivors?"_

She approached Lou slowly, menacingly.

"I could have Ultra Violet convince you to talk….but I must warn you. She doesn't play so nice." The purple villain's insane laughter punctuated the threat. Lou kept his eyes closed. In his mind, he started to play a song. After a few moments his mind started to slowly drift away…

"What's this?"

His eyes snapped open. Harumi's voice was genuinely curious now as she stared at something on the floor in between her and Lou. It was a small square card. In desperation Lou tried to reach it but, once again, Harumi was quicker.

"Well, well, well, an invite. I wonder what it's for? Such a pity _we_ weren't invited…I do love a good gathering."

"No…" The one rasped word was the first Lou had spoken all evening. Ultra Violet kicked him to be silent.

"So he was holding out on us _after_ all… should we teach him what happens when you lie to the Empress?" she asked. Harumi looked down at Lou with victorious contempt.

"Poor Lou...staying quiet all this time to protect the remaining ninja, only to let this invite slip. I'm afraid that means you've _failed_ …" her voice trailed off. She had been walking towards the door, as if to leave, but she paused at the table to pick up the small discarded picture. She studied it with amusement.

"But I supposed you're used to that. Tell me…how does it feel to _fail_ as a _father?_ But I can understand why you've been off performing, rather than mourning. _"_

She caressed the picture and laughed. "He was so pathetic…so _mediocre_." She made eye contact with Lou. "I wouldn't mourn him either." She tossed the picture to the side and it landed with the sound of breaking glass. Her laughter echoed in Lou's mind long after the three had left him alone in silence.

L  
ou panted painfully. He tried to stand but found that with his new back injury and no cane, he couldn't quite make it. He half crawled, half scooted across the floor until he came to the picture that Harumi had thrown. Out of the shattered glass, he pulled the picture from its frame.

It was just a picture of Cole, taken right before he had gone off to the Marty Openheimer's school for performing arts. He had refused to smile, but Lou had been so excited that day that he had taken this picture anyways. As Lou stared at it, the feelings he had been trying so hard to avoid washed over him.

"Oh… _son_ …"

 _ **9**_

The sun was high overhead by the time Cole and Kai were headed back to the campsite.

"Oh _man…_ " Cole said suddenly, causing Kai to turn.

"What is it?"

"I just realized that we left Jay and Wu basically alone together for the last hour… I just hope that Jay is behaving himself."

Kai laughed. "They aren't totally alone…I mean, they have a nindroid babysitter at least. And if anything, maybe you should be worrying about _Jay_ in that situation…"

They shared a laugh. A group of dragons flew overhead, and the two friends sobered and cautiously watched until they had passed.

"Isn't it weird that we used to be good friends with dragons…but now… I guess it's just hard to know if these are _good_ dragons or not." Cole said as the dragons became specks on the horizon.

"Yeah…" Kai said, thinking. Then he looked over like he had just had an epiphany.

"Wait, that's it!"

"What's it?"

"How we get home! Dragons can fly into different realms, right? So all we have to do…"

"…Is befriend a dragon and convince it to take us back! Kai, you're a genius!" Cole said, finishing Kai's thought. Kai smirked. He didn't get called a genius very often and he decided that he could get used to it.

They had reached their destination, but the campsite seemed deserted. A few discarded breakfast skewers were the only signs of their friends.

"Wait…where'd everybody go?" Cole asked, looking around. He felt panic rise. They wouldn't have left…right? That meant that something _happened_ to them…

"Huh, that's really weird…I can't think of where they would have gone…" Kai said, equally baffled. Cole was searching the campsite for clues in a near frenzy.

"What could have happened? It doesn't look like any battle went down…but we can't be sure…"

Suddenly he heard a familiar sound. It was Jay…complaining about something. He sighed in relief and turned to find the source. He caught sight of them in the distance.

 _There's Jay and Zane_ , he thought as he and Kai ran towards them. _But where's…_

They stopped dead in their tracks.

"Is that…Wu?" Kai asked as they caught sight of the figure behind their friends.

"I can't believe it…he got older again! You know, now he kinda looks like Lloyd…back when we first met him…right?" Cole added, shocked by his sensei's sudden transformation. Their friends had almost reached them now and they could hear Jay's conversation more clearly.

"…so all I'm saying is that I _know_ that you were doing it all consciously because toddler body or not, you…"

"You're back!" Zane called out, catching sight of his friends. Jay looked over.

"Of course, the _second_ we leave is when they decide to show up…" he muttered. He felt a worm of worry now that Cole was actually…well… _here._

"Guys! We were wondering where you had disappeared to…" Kai said as they joined up.

"Looks like we're one step closer to getting our old Wu back," Cole said, rubbing Wu's head. Wu smiled back at him.

"Yes…I suppose we are." he replied. He looked to be about 9 or 10 now, and would have sounded more like his old Wu self if it hadn't been for his high-pitched, pre-voice change speech.

While his friends all talked and joked together, Jay hung back from the group a bit. He noticed Zane giving him a meaningful look. He sighed and stepped forward.

"Hey…uh, Cole?" His friend turned to face him, looking a bit uncomfortable himself.

"Yeah Jay?"

"I uh…um. I'm sorry. About before. I…I shouldn't have said that…"

Cole looked shocked.

"Wow…really?!"

Jay instantly became annoyed.

" _YEAH_ really! Are you doubting the sincerity of my _apology_?"

"Yeah…I mean, _no_ …of course not…it's just…" Cole held up his hands in defense. It wasn't that he doubted the seriousness of Jay's apology, it was just that it was the first time he could ever remember Jay actually apologizing. He hadn't expected it…but he supposed it would be better not to point that out.

"I'm sorry too Jay…I was kinda hard on you… and I shouldn't have run off like that." The two stood awkwardly for a few moments more.

"So…..we good?" Jay asked. Cole laughed and smacked his back.

"Yeah, motormouth. We're good."

"We're _more_ than good." Kai cut in, eager to share his great idea with the group. "I figured out how we're going to get out of here!"

After he finished explaining Zane cut in.

"I had already processed that course of action, but that scenario runs into several problems…"

"Aw man, of _course_ you did." Kai muttered, suddenly deflated. He decided it was hard to feel like a genius when there was a nindroid in the group who had already thought of any good idea you could possibly have.

"To get home, it is not dragons that we will rely on." Wu piped up. Such old-Wu words sounded so strange coming from the body and voice of a kid. The four ninja looked at him expectantly.

"Ok…so what _are_ we looking for?" Cole asked.

"It's not a what, it's a who."

"Yep. There he is. There's the old fortune cookie man we all know and love." Jay said, face palming. Wu ignored him.

"The person we have to find is the Dragon Master."

 _Survivors_

It was a calm night, and the waves lapped peacefully on the beach. Lloyd looked at those who had gathered to mourn together. For once the threatening darkness from the city in the distance was blocked…held at bay by the tranquility of this moment. It wasn't a happy moment—far from it—but it was so calm and sincere that he felt some of the turmoil inside of him ebb.

P.I.X.A.L was passing out tea candles to everyone. It was silent, but rather than feeling heavy the silence wrapped around them all like a blanket. Lloyd took his candle and smiled a bit at P.I.X. She gave a smile back and moved to the next person. Lloyd turned his attention to his candle. Soon they would light them all in memory of his fallen friends… he frowned as he felt the all too familiar pangs of guilt and grief worm their way into his tranquil state. Long after this candle had been lit and had died out he would have these feelings of guilt and regret hanging over him. Part of him wanted to shake loose from the dreadful emotions, but deep down he couldn't help but think that he deserved to feel this way. He didn't deserve to have peace and closure in this moment…or any moment. His eyes closed in pain.

He heard the sound of soft sobbing and looked up to see Ed comforting his wife.

 _These are parents forced to mourn the loss of their son..._ I _did that!_

Suddenly he didn't feel like he could go through with this service anymore. He felt like he was choking, and looked around at everyone gathered. Surely they knew whose fault this loss was. Surely they blamed him as much as he blamed himself. He wanted to bolt.

P.I.X.A.L's voice broke through his panicked thoughts.

"Tonight we honor heroes fallen in protection of Ninjago and their friends. We will light these candles now in their remembrance…and lanterns in the years to come. They will not be forgotten. _We_ will not forget."

At the end of her simple statement, she lit her candle. The others did the same.

Nya looked down at her candle, tears silently coursing down her face. P.I.X.A.L walked up next to her and met her eyes. After some unspoken conversation, the two of them approached the gently lapping water on the beach. Together they placed their candles in the waves and Nya used her powers to send them lightly out into the sea. Nya felt an arm on her shoulder and turned to see Skylor, who smiled sadly at her before placing her own candle in the water.

Down from them Ed and Edna knelt to add theirs. Edna continued to softly sob and Ed held her close, eyes misty, as they watched Nya's little waves carry their candles away. It was clear that Jay's loss was still a fresh wound for them.

Dareth set his candle down and gave it a salute as it headed out.

"Adios, my fellow ninjas." he drawled sadly. His salute began wavering and soon he had to drop it so that he could have both arms to wipe across his eyes in an effort to stop the tears leaking out.

Ronin felt a little awkward about the whole thing. Unsure of what else to do, he removed his hat and set his candle free. He watched, hat in hand, as it joined the other little lights twinkling off in the distance.

Lloyd hung back. He still hadn't lit his candle and his eyes were squeezed shut, fighting back tears. Misako approached and put her hand on his arm, causing him to look up with teary eyes.

"I can't." his voice broke.

"You don't have to do it alone," his mother said with a sad smile. Together they approached the water.

 _Harumi_

"Shall we call in backup, boss?" Ultra Violet looked at Harumi, awaiting orders, but Harumi continued to look at the address on the little card. Without looking up, she waved her hand at her wild companion.

"If you must. But we aren't going to be _waiting_ for the backup. We're headed there now. They can catch up."

"I was _hoping_ you would say that!" Violet laughed. Nearby, Mr. E cracked his neck to signify that he, too, was ready for some action.

Harumi's car was large, black, and expensive. Mr. E took the wheel and Harumi stared out at the moon, pensive.

She had worked and waited for so long…for _years…_ hiding behind masks, planning each step with precision and patience. She tightened her fist. _So much patience._ That time a few days ago when they had taken control…she had long dreamed of that moment. No, she had _LIVED_ for that moment. There were times when the pieces didn't click right into place…times when those meddling ninja had almost beaten her. There was a point when she had honestly thought she had lost.

But the power of revenge had proven stronger.

She thought of that moment, where she had held Lloyd over the edge of that tram and forced him to watch as he finally lost everything. Her brow furrowed in anger. That moment was supposed to one that she looked back on in victory. It was supposed to be the sweetest climax of her perfected revenge.

But it hadn't been. She had won…she had accomplished everything she had ever planned. But Lloyd hadn't been destroyed.

How… _how_ could he not be? She had toyed with his heart, making as many painful blows as she could. She had caused his own father had beat him within an inch of his life. He had lost his closest friends while being _literally powerless_ to save them. She had lauded over his pain, sure that Lloyd Garamadon had been shattered into something that could never be restored. She was so close to that feeling of satisfaction knowing that even someone as good and _pure_ as the virtuous "Green Ninja" would turn bitter and empty and hateful if faced with enough loss.

But he hadn't.

Fury coursed through her as she remembered that night. It was supposed to be the night where she gained everything she had ever wanted…but instead it was the night where Lloyd had escaped. Her plans had worked and she had been victorious in every possible way but one. But that was the victory she had wanted the most.

She finally smiled as they drove out of the city and towards the sea. Tonight she would have a second chance at victory.

 _ **10**_

"What do you _mean_ you don't know where he is?!"

Jay's friends made eye contact as the blue ninja freaked out at now-child-sized Wu, who had informed them that despite knowing that they needed to find the Dragon Master didn't have any clue on where he would actually be found.

"You must remember I've never actually _been_ here before and next to _nothing_ is known about this realm." Wu said, a little heatedly. It seemed that child-Wu had less patience than old Wu, despite still having all his memories and wisdom.

"Well, _that's_ just great. So we really aren't any better off than we were _before,_ now ARE WE?!" Jay was almost reaching hysteria point. The fact that not even Wu knew anything about this place…he was beginning to get the feeling that they were doomed. And doomed meant never getting home. And never getting home meant _never seeing Nya again!_ And Jay had worked too hard and for too long to have everything in that relationship fall apart now! He wanted to grab Wu and shake some wisdom right out of him…and maybe he would have if Kai didn't put a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe not, but panicking really isn't going to do much to help the situation, Jay." he said. Jay huffed a breath but did calm down a bit.

"Master, do you have any ideas on where we should go to begin our search?" Zane asked. Now that Wu was more…coherent, it only seemed right to call him by the respectful name. Even if he was still in a small child body. Zane tried to calculate how long it would be before they really had their old Wu back…but he was finding no patterns or algorithms that could predict the aging rate of their master. He sighed a little; like everything else in this situation, they were just going to have to find out one step at a time.

"Well…considering he is the _Dragon_ master, it appears we ought to find some dragons. If we can find where the dragons are migrating to, I'm sure we'll find that he is not far off." Wu said thoughtfully.

Jay opened his mouth to say something snarky, but Cole gave him a look that cut him off.

"Sounds like a plan to me, or at least more of a plan than we've had so far." Cole said. "So our first step is tracking down one of the locals."

"Can't be too hard; they've been flying overhead often enough the whole time we've been here," Kai added.

"But based on the flight patterns I've witnessed, there doesn't seem to be a certain direction that the dragons are going; I am not sure it would be wise to just follow a dragon as there is no guarantee it would lead us to the right place." Zane said. "However, if we would like to follow that plan, I can try to sort through my data to determine the most likely time a dragon would be passing by…"

"Uh…I don't think that will be necessary…" Jay interrupted, eyes in the sky.

"Why not?" Zane asked, as the group turned to face Jay. He urgently pointed upwards.

"Because there's one _HEADING THIS WAY!"_

Before anyone could have much time to react, a deep maroon dragon dove from the skies and snatched Zane in one claw before rising back into the air.

"NO! ZANE!" Cole shouted, jumping on the dragon's other leg at the last second.

"Oh, this is _JUST GREAT!"_ Jay yelled, annoyed. He fired lightening at the beast only to have Kai stop him.

"Quit it! You might hit Cole or Zane!" he snapped. Jay glared back.

"Well what do _you_ suggest?"

"We're losing them!" Wu interrupted, running after the dragon. He looked down in distain. His stubby legs were useless.

 _Cole_

Meanwhile in the sky, Cole had defaulted to bargaining-as he often did in these situations. He yelled up to the dragon, still clinging to its leg.

"Look, Mr. Dragon…I mean, if you're a Mister….uh…anyways, I don't suppose you would be willing to put me and my friend down? We're actually _friends_ to dragons…don't know if you know my friend Rocky but he could vouch for us. And while you're at it…do you happen to know anything about the dragon master?..."

"I don't think the Dragon can understand you, Cole." Zane called unhelpfully from the Dragon's clutches.

"Ah, well, would _you_ like to try, Zane?"

"I would use my elemental powers, but it's crushing my arms down…I can't seem to…"

 _WHIZZZ_

"What was…" Cole started, looking for the source of the mysterious sound. He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, however, because the dragon was suddenly plummeting from the sky.

 _Ninja_

Jay, Kai, and Wu watched in horror from the ground, still a half a mile or so away.

"Is it… _falling?!"_ Jay asked. "What the heck did Cole do?!"

 _Cole_

Cole and Zane yelled as the dragon hurtled towards the earth.

" _WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"_

" _THE WINGS!_ " Zane responded. Cole looked up and noticed that the Dragon's wings were caught up in some kind of net.

"Oh _GREAT."_ He said, mainly to himself, and made his way up the dragon's leg towards the wings. He considered himself a skilled climber, but climbing on something that was spinning out of control and hurtling towards earth was difficult even for a pro. By some miracle or another, he reached one of the wings. Engaging his earth arms, he grabbed the bottom of the net and began snapping the ropes binding the dragon. The ground was uncomfortably close when the combined efforts of Cole and the straining dragon finally broke the binds of the net.

A few things happened all at once.

The Dragon's wings snapped open, sending Cole flying through the air. Opening its wings had nearly halting the dragon's crash to the earth…but not quite. As the dragon crashed to the ground, the impact threw Zane from its claws.

Kai, Jay, and Wu picked up their speed.

"Hurry it up!" Jay called back to his lagging sensei. It was strange…he never would have dared talk to Wu like this when he was old…but at the moment the little ankle-biter was getting on his nerves.

"It's these legs…I may need some assistance." He looked at Jay pointedly.

"Oh… _no._ I am _not_ carrying you…"

 _Zane_

Zane picked himself up off the ground. He looked at the dragon, which seemed dazed as it shook itself loose of dirt. He began backing away slowly, still not sure what the creature's initial offense toward him was. The dragon didn't seem to notice him as it took to the skies once more.

"Oh, great…there goes our chance with a dragon…" Jay complained as he, Wu, and Kai finally made it to Zane. The nindroid turned and was surprised to see that Wu was clinging to Jay's back.

"I don't want to talk about it." Jay growled at Zane's unanswered question, basically dumping Wu in the dirt. "Where's Cole?"

"I…I do not know…" Zane replied, looking around.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him go flying when the dragon got its wings in order," Kai pointed out.

"We must find him…and fast." Wu chimed in. "It is never wise to be alone in these situations."


	4. Part 3

Nicki's Story

 _ **11**_

Lloyd watched his candle sail away. He was kneeling in the sand, water soaking through the cloth on his knees. For the first time, he found himself thinking of the departed realm. That's where his friends were now…right? Were they happy there? Could they see them all here on this beach, missing them? Did they…did they blame him too?

A noise interrupted his thoughts. It wasn't loud, but it didn't fit into the rest of the moment. He turned his head to look down the beach. Was that…a car?

His hands shook a bit as he tried to think of who it could be. It was just one car…and it was a lovely night for a moonlit beach ride. But as the car came closer his dread grew. He stood and pulled out a katana.

"We need to get off the beach. Now." His urgent voice cut through the silence that had settled over the group, popping their bubble of security. Misako gasped as she saw what he was looking at. Nya, Skylor, and P.I.X.A.L immediately assumed fighting positions. The Walker's and Dareth looked confused.

Ronin almost swore as he too caught sight of the oncoming vehicle. He recognized that cruiser.

"It's Harumi. Everyone get over to Rex!" But just then a lone motorcycle careened over the cliffs above Ronin's ship. Ultra Violet landed and skidded in the sand, blocking off the route to REX.

"Ho-ho, leaving the party so soon?" she cackled. She didn't attack, as if waiting for her associates.

Lloyd's mind raced. He had to get everyone out of here…but they were blocked in by Ultra Violet on one side and the ocean on the other. He looked over at Ronin, who seemed to be on the same track of mind as him. With a yell, Lloyd charged the insane purple biker.

"Everyone else, to me!" Ronin yelled, leading Ed and Edna on a route to REX as Ultra Violet and Lloyd clashed.

"You seem eager to roughhouse…" Ultra Violet mocked, blocking his attacks. "Normally I'd love to oblige, but you have a playdate set with someone else tonight and I don't think she'd be pleased if I scuff you up _too_ much."

Nya, Skylor, and PIXAL watched the approaching car. Now pretty confident that Harumi was on board, Nya formed a large wave and sent it crashing into the black vehicle. The force wasn't enough to flip it, but it did slam the car into the cliff side. Nya began sprinting towards it.

Meanwhile Ronin and the Walkers had reached REX. Ronin was looking around for who else was left when more motorcycles began pouring over the cliff-side above him.

 _P.I.X.A.L_

PIXAL and Skylor were headed to help Nya with the black vehicle, but the arrival of six other motorcyclists caused them to change targets. Two of the goons had ganged up on Misako, who had been trying to help Lloyd battle Utlra Violet. The historian dropped to dodge a punch and, while on the ground, used one leg to sweep the legs out from under the other biker. As he fell she sprang back up to continue her battle with the first goon. However, things became tricky as a third biker entered the mix. They circled Misako, chuckling nastily as she stood in fighter stance, looking back and forth between all of them. Suddenly a figure flipped into the circle with her.

"Looks like you could use some help…" Skylor said. Her hood was up and she narrowed her eyes at the bikers. Misako smiled in gratitude.

"Let's teach these thugs a lesson." she said.

Nearby, P.I.X.A.L had hopped on one of the motorcycles and was using it to chase down its owner. He was running with his head turned back to watch her…he didn't notice the string of flowers hanging in front of him. The decoration neatly clotheslined him. P.I.X.A.L jumped off the motorcycle and approached the fallen SoG member.

"It seems decorations can do more than just set the mood." P.I.X.A.L mused allowed. The biker stood and tried to attack but his ankle was caught in the string of flowers. P.I.X.A.L dodged a sloppy punch and grabbed the end of the string. Darting around him, it wasn't long before the thug was hopeless tangled.

'I would say we could continue, but it looks like you are a little tied up at the moment." P.I.X.A.L said. She took a moment to be secretly pleased at her ability to make a witty joke based on the situation; she felt like Zane would be proud. Then she looked around for her next target.

 _Dareth_

Dareth looked at the motorcyclist who had landed closest to him.

"Now I must warn you…I have had extensive training with the late ninja" he said, pulling on his hood and striking a pose. The SoG member rolled his eyes and attacked. Surprisingly Dareth was able to block the first two swings, but the kick landed him on his back. The biker wound up a punch right as Ronin arrived and knocked him out of the way.

"Hey, Dareth, leave the fighting to the grown-ups" he growled, yanking Dareth to his feet and shoving him towards REX. "Now go get in the ship…you've caused enough damage."

"Ex _cuse_ me?" Dareth drawled, eyebrow raised.

"You're obviously the reason they're here…so much for stealth," Ronin said as the biker attacked from behind. Ronin turned and decked him neatly in the face. "Hey ugly, _trying_ to have a conversation here."

"Nobody followed _me_ here, I'll have you know." Dareth said, glaring at the thief. "In fact…"

" _Just get to the ship!"_ Ronin yelled, and Dareth clued in that the conversation was over. He ran over to join the Walker's in REX.

 _Nya_

Nya had almost reached the car as Harumi exited it.

 _"YOU"_ Nya screamed as rage seemed to taint her very vision. _This_ was the person to blame for the loss of her family and friends. Harumi turned with a mix of amusement and disgust.

"Aw, well if it isn't _Nya…._ the _girl ninja."_ She said, as she blocked Nya's spear with a sword. "Then again…you're basically the _only_ ninja nowadays, aren't you?" She pushed hard and Nya was forced to stumble backwards. She screamed another cry of rage but this time her attack was blocked by Mr. E. Harumi shook her head in mock disbelief.

"My my…if this is how you treat your guests, than it's no _wonder_ few people showed up to your party."

"You…are not…a _guest."_ Nya panted, trying to fight her way through Mr. E to her family's murderer.

"Not a guest? But I have an invitation!" Harumi held the square card up. Nya was caught off guard at the sight of it. It explained how they were here…but who's…

It struck her like lightening. Dareth, Skylor, and the Walkers had all produced their invitations at their arrival. This card could only belong to one person.

Mr. E knocked her back but she spinjitzued around him. At first she felt furious…had Lou betrayed them?! But the fury twisted into nausea and she realized what had really probably happened.

"What did you…" she began, facing Harumi once again.

"Oh…don't worry about _him_ Nya. Perhaps you should worry more about yourself…"

Mr. E was behind her and almost landed a direct blow, but a shurikan hit his arm and threw his attack off. He looked over to see P.I.X.A.L on the beach, eyes burning. She had heard of this nindroid…he was the one who had nearly destroyed Zane and planted a virus in his chest. Yes…she had unfinished business with this Mr. E.

Without the red nindroid to worry about, Nya flew at Harumi.

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd may not have had his powers, but he was holding his own at hand-to-hand combat. Though, he did feel that Ultra Violet wasn't going full out on him either. They continued their dance in the middle of the beach, the purple villain chuckling maniacally. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Lloyd went to launch another attack when something in the distance caught his attention. Harumi seemed to have another victim…

"Nya…" he breathed in alarm. He couldn't lose her…not her too…

Ultra Violet took advantage of his distraction and grabbed him, picking him up off the ground.

"Perhaps you need to _cool down a bit._ " With a surprising strength she hurled him into the sea.

 _Nya_

Nya threw everything into her fight with Harumi. One second she was attacking with her spear, in another she was blasting water. But Harumi had obviously not wasted the chance to train in all those years she had spent in the palace. She blocked and dodged with incredible agility, always with the most patronizing look on her face. Nya's rage was also making her sloppy against the collected villain. She thrust her spear again with a yell, but Harumi moved slightly out of the way and her spear hit air. Taking advantage of the loss of balance this caused the Ninja, Harumi grabbed the spear and yanked Nya close before kicking her onto her back. Harumi held Nya's own weapon over her, ready to strike.

"Pity…looks like Lloyd is going to lose another friend tonight…" she whispered cruelly. "But at least you will be reunited with the rest of your ninja rejects…"

Nya felt desperately for something to block the attack. Suddenly, she found herself yanked into the air.

"Gotcha." Ronin said, his voice betraying relief. He had gotten REX in the air with the Walkers and Dareth on board. REX's arm had snatched Nya off the beach and was now depositing her into the cabin with the rest of the passengers.

"Wha…Ronin? You saved me…" Nya said. Ronin smiled, awaiting her thanks. Instead, she turned to look back at the beach.

"Wait, where are we going? We have to go back, Ronin!"

REX was speeding out over the ocean, and those remaining on the shore grew smaller.

"No chance."

" _Ronin!"_

"I'm sorry, Nya. But there's no compromise on this one. More biking goons are pouring onto that beach by the minute…if we didn't leave when we did than _none_ of us were making it out of there.

Nya marched into the cockpit, glowering.

"We can't leave them behind Ronin! They're outnumbered…they'll never survive…"

Ronin continued to stare off ahead as he spoke.

"A few more of us against that army will hardly make a difference…if you go back now _you'll_ never survive."

"So what now…we just run away?!"

"I told you before. Best course of action is to lie low and start a new…"

"A Ninja _NEVER LEAVES ANO…"_

 _"I'M NO NINJA."_

Nya glared daggers at the thief in front of her. She couldn't believe that he would leave just like that….abandoning _everyone_ to the likes of Harumi. Actually, she could believe it…and that fact almost made it worse.

Ronin refused to look at Nya, feeling the glare on the back of his neck. He had known that she wouldn't be happy…but he didn't really care if she was happy. He was more concerned that she was _safe._ With his back to her, he didn't notice her face relax as her eyes hardened with resolve. She turned and stormed out of the cockpit. Then, with one last look at Ronin, she water punched a nearby control panel. The cockpit doors shorted out and slammed shut, blocking the thief inside. He turned in surprise.

"Well…I still am." Nya said, responding to his earlier comment. She opened REX's side door.

"NO…Nya… _DON'T DO THIS."_ Ronin had set REX on auto and was trying to force the cockpit doors open. "If you go back now there's no way you'll make it out of there…"

Nya ignored him, looking at Dareth. He and the Walkers were looking at her with both alarm and awe.

"Get him to go to Lou's, Dareth. I'm afraid he may need help."

Dareth saluted. "Aye, Aye, Nya."

She looked down at the black ocean beneath the ship.

"I am _not_ coming back for you…" Ronin tried, having forced the door open a bit.

Nya bent her knees…

"For heaven's sake, somebody _STOP her!"_

She launched out of the ship, and dark waves swirled up to catch her.

 _ **12**_

As Cole flew through the air, he couldn't help feeling annoyed as he panicked. After surviving everything else up to this point, his current situation seemed like a random and anticlimactic way to go.

 _Maybe if I activate my earth punch and point my arms straight for the ground…_

Under normal circumstances such a move would snap both arms and still result in a grisly demise…but he still didn't really know much about this strange power he had gained that night in Yang's temple. The ground was approaching quicker than he could think…he aimed both arms forward. It was possible his power could keep his arms from breaking…but it still seemed pretty risky…

 _Phroomp_

He was literally yanked from his thoughts as something caught his foot, and his momentum slammed him into the rock formation he had been falling near. His arms exploded through it; a result of his still-activated earth punch. He began falling again as the rock formation crumbled.

He hit the ground hard, but not as hard as he would have without his mid-fall pause. He was too dazed to do much dodging, so when the shock finally wore off he realized how lucky he was that he hadn't been crushed by any falling rocks.

 _Oooooowwwwww_

He winced as he pushed himself up; his arms seemed no worse for the wear but he was pretty sure he had bruised a rib and his ankle felt like it was on fire. He pulled himself into a sitting position and examined the rope on his ankle. Someone had stopped his fall, but who…?

"Well _that_ was incredibly _stupid._ "

He turned at the voice; it was unfamiliar…and female. So that ruled out the chance that it was one of his friends who had rescued him…

There was still a lot of dust in the air, so all he could make out was the outline of a person standing a few yards behind him. Out of habit he sprung to his feet and into a fighting stance, trying not to appear to be in as much pain as he was. The figure didn't even react.

"Do you know how long I've been tracking that dragon? Two weeks. _TWO WEEKS._ And then you had to go and mess up the catch, didn't you?"

Cole tried to think of something clever to say.

"Um…"

 _Wow, that was incredibly articulate, genius!_

"And then you get yourself catapulted! And what's my thanks for trying to save your sorry hide? You blast the rock formation! I don't know _who_ the heck you are but you've already become the _biggest_ idiot I've ever met!"

Cole's brain finally caught up to him…though he couldn't help but feel like he was in a fight with Jay rather than a face-off with some mysterious stranger.

"Why on earth were you trying to catch a dragon? Sounds like that was your first mistake." He could almost make her out now…

"No, _your_ first mistake was traveling with something shiny." She took a step closer. "Dragons love shiny things, Idiot."

Well…that explained why it grabbed Zane. They really were going to have to get his shape-changer fixed then. Pushing that thought aside, Cole felt rather annoyed with the girl in front of him; he was called enough things by his friends. He didn't particularly feel like letting some stranger insult him. He could finally make her out now; she was wearing black, with a tattered grey shawl. Her hair was black where it had tumbled out from her orange head scarf. Her face might have been pretty…if it didn't look like she was trying to murder him with her piercing orange eyes and she didn't have impossibly white skin. He frowned. Maybe the black sun doesn't actually do much tanning here in the realm of the…

"You're an Oni!" He blurted suddenly. She rolled her eyes.

"And _you're_ an imbecile!" she snapped back. He noticed she had a long scar down the left side of her face. She pointed her spear at him. "Now that we got the obvious out of the way… _what are you doing here?"_

 _I don't like her._

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to threaten people you don't know?" he tried to sound menacing. She raised one eyebrow.

"You mean…a guy with a gimpy ankle and half a brain? Oh, you're right. I am way out of my league here, aren't I?" She swung her spear and Cole dodged, wincing at the pain in his right ankle.

 _Yep…I_ really _don't like her!_

She swung again and he ducked, wishing he had some kind of weapon. While he was busy trying to locate one, she kicked him in his bad ankle and toppled him. As she swung her spear down he shot a bunch of dirt in her face.

"Well…there's always that!" me muttered, and found himself glad Jay and the other's weren't here to watch this embarrassing battle. He'd never hear the end of it.

"UGH…" she wiped an arm across her eyes. "How did you DO that?!"

Cole struggled to his feet while she came at him with an enraged volley of attacks. With his rib, ankle, and lack of weapon he wasn't really holding his own as well as he would have liked. The strange woman almost landed an attack when she found her hand suddenly blasted with ice, freezing it to her spear.

"WHAT the…"

"COLE!"

The Earth Ninja turned with a smile as he saw his friends running up. The girl had broken her hand free of ice, but didn't continue the attack. She knew she was outnumbered.

"Who are you people!?"

"I think that's a question _you_ should answer!" Jay yelled back. "Along with _why were you attacking our friend!?"_

The ninja descended and for the first time the girl seemed a little nervous as her eyes flicked from face to face.

"Oh, is he a friend of yours then? Maybe you should be _thanking_ me for saving his worthless life!"

"Oh yeah…that's _really_ what it looked like you were doing…" Kai said, approaching angrily.

"Well why don't you _ask him_ then?" her voice was hard but her body language betrayed a touch of fear.

Everyone glanced at Cole, who sighed.

"Well…technically I guess. But I wouldn't have even been in trouble if she hadn't shot the dragon down…"

"That was _you?!"_ Jay yelled. "What the heck would you do that for?"

The girl looked both irate and confused by the ninja's response.

"Who's side are you on anyways? You realize that this is _WAR_ …right?!"

"That's _Enough_!" Wu's voice broke through, and the authority in it sounded so much like his old self that, out of habit, the ninja immediately stood down with a "sorry sensei."

The girl looked from the small child to the colorfully dressed men, and back.

"You're joking…right?"

"I think we have all gotten off on the wrong foot." The small well-mannered child continued. "The truth is we came here by accident and have lost our way. The dragon grabbed our friends," here he gestured at Cole and Zane, "and we've been worried. The truth is we could use a little bit of help."

The girl stood down but her face continued to look extremely suspicious.

"What kind of help?"

 _P.I.X.A.L_

The battle between P.I.X.A.L and Mr. E was a silent one. Who was this strange masked nindroid? Was that even his real name, or simply a play on the word "mystery?" Whoever he was, he was a skilled fighter and P.I.X.A.L found it hard to keep up with his speed. She remembered calling Zane outdated all those years ago…perhaps now it was she who couldn't keep up with modern technology.

She ducked another swing and tried to find an opening, but he was once again too quick for her. She flipped backwards, putting some space between them so she could better assess her options. Suddenly, she became aware of the precarious situation happening a few yards away; Harumi had Nya on the ground, spear raised. P.I.X.A.L froze, unable to compute a solution quickly enough to save her friend. She felt panic rise…

An airship zoomed dangerously close overhead. It was REX, and P.I.X.A.L watched with relief as Ronin rescued Nya and deposited her into the ship. But instead of engaging in battle, REX began a course away from the beach, over the ocean. P.I.X.A.L's resolve fell. The thief was leaving, abandoning them; Misako had been right about him after all.

More people poured onto the beach. P.I.X.A.L soon found herself encircled by SoG members on bikes. Mr. E looked on with his same unreadable expression. As she looked around she saw that Skylor and Misako were also surrounded by bikers. P.I.X.A.L assumed a fighting stance and frowned. The statistics for their survival were not favorable.

 _ **13**_

Harumi was infuriated, having had another moment of satisfaction snatched from her. She calmed herself, remembering who her real target was.

"Where is he?!" She snapped at Mr. E. He gestured down the beach to Ultra Violet, who was laughing at something out in the sea. Harumi sauntered away, gliding by the robot girl, Lloyd's mother, and the other hooded figure. Each was surrounded. If she didn't have more pressing matters on her hands, she would try to uncover who that hooded figure was; the robot girl she knew about, but the person standing defiantly next to Misako was a mystery. Ah, well. She could always come back to it in a few minutes.

As she reached Ultra Violet, she saw Lloyd pulling himself out of the ocean and onto the beach.

"Now, now, Violet. It looks like you've been playing rough…"

"Not at all boss…he just needed a refreshing dip."

Lloyd wiped salt water out of his eyes, still on his knees. Waves continued to lap at him while he took a look around. There were way more bikers than he remembered. He noticed Harumi a few yards away, but…

"Where's Nya?" Lloyd tried to yell, but he had swallowed some salt water and his voice came out hoarse. He shakily got to his feet as Harumi strolled closer.

"Ah, there you are Lloyd. I was wondering if you had left the party early. You do seem to have a nasty habit of doing that…"

" _Where's Nya?!"_ he repeated . Harumi gave him a look of false pity; he wanted to strangle her.

"Oh Lloyd…I would tell you, but do you really think you can handle any more tragedy?"

He caught on to her insinuation and dread mixed with the seawater in his stomach. It had a really nauseating effect and he found himself trying not to retch.

 _Oh Nya…not you too…_

He couldn't break down now. Not in front of Harumi…that was what she wanted. He tried to shut off his emotions and assess the situation logically; she was holding a sword, and he had lost his katana when he had hit the water. His options weren't looking good, but he clenched his fists anyways. He wasn't going down without a fight.

"The time has co…"

"When will it be _enough,_ Harumi!?" He yelled, cutting her off. She narrowed her eyes as he continued.

"When you kill everyone I care about? When you kill _me?!_ Then will you be happy?"

"I will _NEVER_ be happy!" She screamed, pointing her sword at him. "Thanks to _YOU._ Any chance I had at happiness died with my parents!"

"You're wrong, Harumi. You'll never be happy…but it's because _you_ chose that life for yourself."

She screamed and attacked. He dodged out of the way. He had no weapon…but his mind caught on a memory of his father from long ago; the art of the silent fist. He wasn't sure how long it would work against Harumi-or if it would work at all-but he didn't really have many options. She continued to swing and lunge as he twisted out of the way time and time again.

"It won't work Lloyd…this time you won't escape your punishment." she growled as another blow missed its mark. "You'll never make it off this beach."

"We'll see…" he said, trying to sound confident. But deep down he knew she was right. They were hopelessly outnumbered…he couldn't even see anyone else because of all the thugs driving around. He hoped that no one else had been hurt.

They were fighting close to the water, and every few seconds waves would soak their feet. Lloyd stepped aside as Harumi stabbed at his shoulder. But his dodge was marred as his left foot hit an unseen obstacle under the wave. He fell, splashing into the water as it pulled away back into the sea.

Harumi turned triumphantly as Lloyd struggled in the wet sand, trying to regain standing position.

"There's no parachute for you this time…"

"BOSS! Look _OUT!"_

Harumi looked back at Ultra Violet, unsure why she would interrupt the crescendo of her revenge. Lloyd used the distraction to scramble away from Harumi. That's when they both noticed that everyone on the beach was looking at horror at something behind both of them.

Harumi turned to see an enormous wall of water…no doubt in seconds that intrusive water ninja would send it crashing down on them all. She quickly turned to end Lloyd before that happened…but he was already running up the beach and away from the giant wave.

" _NO!"_ She screamed as the water descended upon them.

 _Dareth_

It took Dareth a little while to muster up the courage to talk to Ronin. No offense to the guy, but he did have an _intimidating_ way about him...especially when he was angry. He had gotten the cockpit doors open seconds after Nya's leap, watching her fall with an unreadable expression. Afterwards he had gone back into the cockpit without saying a word to anybody.

Dareth stood and looked over at Ed and Edna.

"You go get em, son." Ed said encouragingly, while Edna shooed him with her hands. Dareth nodded nervously before putting on his best tough face. He marched into the cockpit. Ronin didn't even bother turning around.

"One word, and I'll throw you from the ship."

 _There's that intimidation factor,_ Dareth thought with a gulp. This was going to be harder than he thought. He almost turned and walked back out of the cockpit, but something stopped him.

Nya had trusted _him_ to do this. She was counting on him, a fellow ninja, to complete this assignment! And by Joe, a Ninja never quits, no matter how intimidating someone was! He spun back around to face the thief.

"Now look here, Ronin."

Ronin stood, REX once again on auto, and turned to Dareth. The brown ninja began backing slowly out of the cockpit as Ronin approached menacingly.

"Um…you see…we have to…"

" _We?_ I need you to get something through your head right now. There is no _we_ …just me saving your neck for the last time before I drop you off in some forsaken place and get the heck outta town… _alone._ "

"Well then…uh…that's not very…"

"Very what? Heroic? Courageous? Hate to break it to you, but I'm no hero. I'm a vagabond who works best solo and every time I seem to forget that it never works out well for me. Capiche? Now _SIT DOWN,_ " here Dareth dropped unto a bench that he had been backed into, "and _SHUT UP._ Or there will be very real consequences."

Ed and Edna looked like the wanted to help, but it was clear that Mr. Ronin was in a very bad mood and they just couldn't think of a gosh-darn thing to say.

Dareth watched as Ronin turned his back to him to get back to the cockpit. Normally he would just give up, but he felt something deep within him that refused to be bullied into submission this time.

"Fine, you work best _alone_ and what-have-you. But when you drop me off in some forsaken place, can that forsaken place be near Lou the performer? Because Nya trusted me to help him, and unlike _you_ I don't feel like disappointing her."

The punch was harder than Dareth was expecting. When the stars cleared out of his vision he realized that he was on the ground with Edna trying to help him. Ed was standing, facing Ronin. He had his Dad voice on.

"Now, Mr. Ronin, we can see you're upset. Why don't you just let us all off where the gentleman said and we'll be outta your hair. Then you can go off gallivanting wherever you like and just forget all about us, eh? What do ya say?"

Ronin clenched his jaw, trying to keep his anger and annoyance in check.

"Sounds good to me. But the rest of the trip better be _silent._ Understand?" With that he stormed back into the cockpit.

 _ **14**_

The pale girl didn't look totally sold on Wu's plan. Or even a little sold.

"And why should I agree to take you anywhere? You are obviously not from around here and I doubt the Baron would like me bringing strangers with unknown plans waltzing into his fortress."

"You work for a Baron who lives in a fortress," Zane repeated. "For someone who doesn't want to help us you sure are giving out a lot of information."

She rolled her eyes in response. "If I thought for a minute you inane clowns had any chance of getting there on your own, I would have tried my hardest to be discreet."

Jay leaned over to Cole.

"Wow…she sure isn't lacking on social graces, is she?"

Cole scoffed. "You have no idea."

"So as much fun it's been to meet you all, your perky costumes are giving me a headache and I'm afraid I have to be going now." she continued, turning. Kai was blocking her path.

"Look. We can do this the easy way or the hard way…"

Jay face-palmed.

"Honestly Kai, you have _got_ to revamp your catch-phrases!" the blue ninja complained. Kai looked a little flustered, but the Oni cut off his reply.

"Really, as much as I would _love_ to stay and see how this all turns out…" the girl was side-stepping Kai when a voice echoed across the terrain that froze her in her tracks.

" _KEYDA"_

The Oni girl cringed and turned. "Great…just great."

The group turned as well to see something moving towards them, kicking up dirt and dust into the air. The ninja immediately assumed fighting positions but Wu told them to stand down.

"Is that…a dragon?" Jay asked. It did appear to be exactly that, with a few people standing on its back as it charged across the ground.

Cole looked over at the Oni girl and noticed that she had become very uncomfortable. Whoever was coming their way, she seemed to know them.

The dragon appeared to be wingless and it scurried across the ground like a salamander would. Chains bound its mouth and looped up in one figure's hands like reins. The people on its back were pale wearing black clothes with metal accents; more Oni. One was carrying a large staff topped with a horned circle. He wore a top-hat and carried himself with an important air. His companion's entire face was covered by some kind of metal mask that made it hard to make out any kind of expression. He pulled back on the reins, halting the dragon a few yards from the group.

"Keyda!" The staff-man spoke, his tone filled with false concern. "We've been looking everywhere for you! It appears you were unable to fully execute the initiation trials…but" here he looked at the group of colorful individuals, "it seems you have met some new…friends? Who are they?"

He sounded patronizing…Cole decided rather quickly that he didn't like the guy. The girl…Keyda…looked like she wasn't sure what to say.

"I don't really know, Baron sir. I had basically completed my last trial when these crayons came out of nowhere and got in the way." Here she glared at Cole, who glared right back.

"Now, it's not sporting-like to blame others for one's own failures…" the Baron chided, causing Keyda's mouth to drop in defense. An idea struck Cole rather suddenly.

"I'm afraid she's right, sir." He chimed up. Suddenly everyone's eyes were on him, including his friends…who were looking at him like he was crazy. "Uh…we did get in the way…accidentally, of course." The Baron looked amused.

"And who might you be?" he asked. Cole thought for a moment about using his pseudo-name—Rocky Dangerbuff—but he realized that Keyda had already heard his real name.

 _Might as well go with the truth then._

"I'm Cole."

"Ah, well, it's very nice to meet you, _Cole_. I take it you're the leader in this…charming group of individuals?"

Cole felt a bit stuck…if anyone was the leader at this point it was probably Wu, but claiming that the group of young adults was following a child around probably wouldn't help their image at this point.

"Yeah…something like that." he said, ignoring the indignant sound that came from Jay's direction.

"Now…I must say it is entirely intriguing to find you here…you must understand that we don't get many visitors in the Realm of the Oni and there are few people I haven't met. I can only assume you've just arrived, and it must have been a rocky landing." he looked pointedly at the tears and rips in the ninja's clothing. "Where was it you said you were from?"

"Er…the truth is, we're actually looking for a way back home." How much should he reveal to this guy? He didn't really trust him, but earlier it seemed like Wu had wanted to get to some kind of Oni civilization and it felt like this was probably their chance to do just that.

"Maybe we could talk about it more after we get something to eat?!" Jay interrupted, clutching a grumbling stomach. Cole found himself surprised that it had taken Jay this long to say anything. The Baron laughed.

"Of course! You must accompany me to my fortress and get a proper meal. And then we shall talk more." He winked at Cole, who felt uneasy. They had no idea who they could and couldn't trust here…the whole situation seemed really fragile.

"Do you really think that is wise, Iron Baron?" It was the first time that metal-face had said anything, and his voice was distant and echo-y from behind the mask. The Baron put an arm on his companion's shoulder.

"Come now, Heavy-Metal, these poor men are lost, starving, and far from home. The least we can do is show them a little Dragon-Master hospitality!" his voice was jovial, but his eyes glittered darkly. "Come now, we'll lead the way!" And with that the green salamander-dragon was darting away through the formations.

"Hurry, ninja. We don't want to lose them." Wu said as his pupils hesitated. He lifted his arms to Cole, who sighed and hoisted him onto his back. "This is just as hard on me as it is on you," the sensei explained, though his tone seemed to betray otherwise. Cole went to take a step forward and nearly fell; in all the excitement he had forgotten about his ankle.

"Are you alright, Cole?" Zane asked, concerned. Cole straightened up.

"Yeah…I think I just twisted my ankle earlier…I should be fine." His nindroid friend didn't look convinced and insisted on carrying Wu to at least take the extra pressure off of Cole. They started to move again, Cole limping as quickly as he could so he wouldn't hold the group back.

Jay punched Cole on the arm as the friends headed out.

"Wow, way to take command there, _leader…"_

"All scenarios considered, it probably was for the best, Jay." Zane chimed in. The blue ninja rolled his eyes and found a new target.

"So… _Keyda…_ looks like we're all getting to go to the fortress after all!" he called out to the Oni. She had seemed really tense during the whole encounter with the Baron and now looked more sullen than usual. She sped up her walking speed to get away from the Master of lightening.

"Honestly, after meeting the Baron, it's clear where you get your hospitality from…"

She whirled to face him.

"Oh yes, soon enough you will have a nice dose of Iron Baron's _hospitality._ But when you do, don't be looking to me to save you." She turned away and continued her speed walk.

Jay's response died in his throat… he got a feeling that this girl wasn't messing with him.

"Well…that was cheery." Kai said before turned to Wu. "Still want to go to the fortress?"

"Sometimes truth can only be found in the most unlikely of places." the child replied thoughtfully. Kai took comfort in the fact that Wu didn't seem too worried about the situation, though once again his answer didn't make a lot of sense.

"Well, then, fortress here we come."

 _Survivors_

Upon seeing the wall of water, the members of SoG seemed a little torn between staying with their boss or running for their lives. It was hard to decide if impending doom scared them more than the former Quiet One. Skylor, Misako, and P.I.X.A.L, on the other hand, had no such qualms.

"Get to higher ground!" Misako yelled, and she and Skylor flipped over the circle of bikers without much interference. They ran for the cliffs.

P.I.X.A.L made it out of her circle of baddies as well, but then someone grabbed her arm and stopped her retreat. It was Mr. E. She turned expecting a fight, but he didn't move. He just…stared at her. Feeling disturbed, she kicked him off of her and resumed her escape towards higher ground.

Their flight had triggered a similar reaction in many of the SoG members, who began biking away from the scene. But it was too late.

Water quickly flooded the beach, sucking people from their bikes and ramming the vehicles into the cliffside or down the beach. P.I.X.A.L jumped up and grabbed a tree branch as the water hit her, nearly ripping her off. As her head breached the surface and the water level lowered she pulled herself up into the tree. Misako and Skylor had reached the cliffs and were part-way up but the water was high enough that it hit them hard. Skylor had a good grip but Misako's hands slipped.

P.I.X.A.L ripped off a string of flowers in the tree and threw it to Misako. By some miracle the historian was able to grab it and avoid being swept away by the current.

Further down the beach, Lloyd was having a harder time. He hadn't been close to anything to grab onto when the wave hit. He spun out of control underwater, making sure to keep his mouth closed; he didn't really feel like swallowing any more seawater. He tried to gain some kind of control, but the salt stung his eyes and everything was just a chaotic mix of dark water and sand.

 _Ah man, the cliffs! I'm gonna hit the cliffs!_

He tried to brace himself, but he didn't have any sense of direction and couldn't even be sure _where_ the cliffs were. His shoulder slammed into something solid, knocking the air from his lungs

 _There they are_ he thought numbly, trying not to panic at the lack of oxygen. But then the water finally started ebbing away. He gasped for air and soon was hacking salt water out of his system on the wet sand. He felt like he had been through a washing machine and then had his insides wrung out to dry. After catching his breath, he looked around the moonlit shore.

People were scattered in the sand like beach debris, many of them groaning or hacking as well. He knew that now was their chance to get out of here, but he didn't know where anyone was. Suddenly he caught sight of a figure lying in the sand with a dark ponytail.

He scrambled to his feet and shakily made his way towards the figure, collapsing next to her and turning her over. She blinked up at him, looking utterly exhausted. He almost cried with relief and pulled her into a hug, the awkwardness between them seemingly forgotten.

"Lloyd..." she started, but he cut her off.

"I thought you were dead."

The emotion in his statement caused tears to prick her eyes. She hugged him back, tightly.

"Nya…I'm so _sorry…_ " here his voice broke, and she realized he was crying. "This is all my fault…our friends…Harumi…this attack…"

"NO, Lloyd." she pulled back, looking him in the eye with intensity that belied her exhaustion. "This is _not_ your fault. You cannot blame yourself for this."

"But…"

"This is Harumi's fault… _all_ of it. Don't you think we know that?"

The feelings that had been threatening to drown Lloyd for days began to recede, replaced with a feeling of cautious hope. They didn't blame _him_? …Really?

Nya looked around.

"I wish we had more time to talk about this, but now would be a great time to disappear. We have to find the others." Lloyd was snapped back to the present, and nodded his agreement.

 _S.O.G_

In another place on the beach, Ultra Violet had taken command.

"NOBODY leaves until we find the boss, got that?!" She yelled at a few sodden bikers.

"But what about the Ninja…"

"Finding the boss is our first priority…" Violet gave him a look to dare him to disagree. He didn't; nobody would disagree with this crazy chick unless they had a death wish.

"Uh…Aye Aye!" He said, and they began combing the beach for the quiet one.

 _ **15**_

The Fortress stuck out like a sore thumb in the barren landscape. It was large and metal and looked harsh in its position in more toothy formations. Jay whistled slowly.

"Well…the Iron Baron has impressive digs, I'll give him that."

It wasn't long before the group had reached the entryway to the fortress. It was blocked off by a heavy-duty Portcullis, and the Baron gave a whistle to the gatekeeper. The portcullis slowly raised and the Baron gestured that the ninja should go inside.

Zane repositioned Wu on his back. He was finding it hard to keep him from slipping off; his metal body didn't really provide the friction needed. He looked over and noticed a few dragons chained to a large wheel; it seemed that was how they raised and lowered the portcullis. He frowned; it was clear how the Oni felt about the Dragons in this realm, and it went against what he felt was right. However, there was nothing he could do at the moment without placing them all in a hazardous situation, so he kept quiet.

The Baron seemed eager to show everything off to his new guests. Another Oni…possibly a servant…had come and lead his salamander-dragon away while he pointed at different things with his staff. The ninja were finding it hard to concentrate on his lecture on the history of this artifact or that bit of architecture. Jay's stomach wasn't the only one complaining, and the Baron soon laughed and gave up on his tour.

"Yes, I suppose it would only be fair to take you straight to the dining hall."

The food provided wasn't exactly like home, but everyone had to admit it was much better than whatever strange lumps Zane had been able to scrounge. They buckled into the meal gratefully.

The Baron couldn't help but wonder how the blue man was even _breathing_ as he shoved food down his throat. The rest of them were hardly any better. Still, he managed to smile politely.

"It seems you are enjoying your meal." he said, and got a few satisfied grunts in return. Delightful. Only the child didn't seem to be stuffing his face, choosing instead to sip cup after cup of tea with the best manners in the group. Strange…

Keyda had barely touched her meal at all, choosing not to make eye contact with anyone. The Iron Baron wasn't sure what he was going to do with her… he had expected her to fail initiation, of course…but then she had discovered this strange group. Perhaps she would finally be of use to him…

After a while the torrent of eating seemed to slow.

"Yep…that was satisfying" Jay commented, rubbing his stomach. He wasn't sure what to think about this Iron Baron guy…but he did seem to make a mean buffet. His friends sat back with satisfied sighs of their own. The Baron got to his feet.

"I'm so glad that you've enjoyed your meal. Perhaps now it is time that we could take the time to chat…"

The ninja immediately became wary, glancing at Wu. How much should they say to this guy?

"Um…I'm not sure…" Jay started, but the Baron waved his hand to cut him off, smiling.

"Oh, of course. It seems silly for me to keep all of you from a well earned rest…perhaps we should just talk leader to leader, eh Cole?" The black ninja blanched. He had spoken up before to help get them to this point…but to be honest diplomatic speaking was not one of his strong points.

 _Well done, boulder brain. You should have just told him Wu was in charge in the first place!_

The Baron was already moving, seemingly unshaken by Cole's lack of response.

"I'm sure Keyda would be more than happy to show you to my quarters. And the rest of you can follow Heavy-Metal to where you will be staying…"

"Oh, we'd hate to impose…we weren't planning on…" Kai spoke up, feeling a little unnerved by the way the Baron was looking at all of them.

"But you _must_." The Baron interrupted, eyes flashing. "I can't in good conscious let you leave without being fully rested. And there are some questions I would like answers to." With that, he left the room. Heavy-Metal had been standing next to the door during the meal and now pushed it open, gesturing to the ninja that it was time to go.

It didn't seem like there was room for negotiation on this one. The group stood and headed to the door. Keyda grabbed Cole's arm as he went to join his friends.

"Where are you going, stupid? Didn't you hear the Baron?" her voice was dull, despite her biting words. "You're coming with me."

The pair exited the room out of a different door, neither one pleased about the situation. They walked in silence for the first few minutes, Cole limping and trying to keep up with Keyda's hurried pace. The silence was awkward, but he couldn't think of anything to say to her. Besides…he was sure she would shoot down any attempts at conversation with more insults.

To his surprise, she spoke first.

"Tell him what he wants to know. He might even let you all leave if you do."

"I'd like to see him keep us here…" it was all he could think to say. She paused and looked at him.

"You really are stupid…aren't you?"

 _There it is._

She continued. "The Iron Baron gets what he wants. Always. Lucky for you he is going for the cordiality route first…but mark my words; if you don't tell him what he wants to know, he will make your life a living…"

"Got it." Cole cut in as his stomach flipped around. Maybe he had eaten too much after all. He thought about what the Oni girl had said and realized with a shock that behind all the insults, Keyda actually did seem sincere about warning him.

"Well…this is it." She said, and he looked up to see an ornate metal door. His stomach flipped again. "Good luck." She turned to leave.

"Hey…Keyda?" Cole surprised himself by stopping her. She turned, eyebrow raised as if expecting an insult.

"Um…I never did say thank you. For…you know…saving my life earlier." She looked as shocked as he felt, and after a sort of nod-shrug, she turned and left him standing at the door.

Feeling stupid, Cole turned back to the door and raised his hand to knock.

 _Ronin_

Ronin waited as the Walker's exited REX, which was parked in the outskirts of Ninjago City. Dareth had basically leapt from the ship the second it had touched down…it seemed he was eager to go help his friend. Or maybe he was just nervous about what Ronin would do if he stayed on REX for even a second longer than necessary.

Ronin had calmed down during the flight and even felt the need to say something to the Walker's before taking off.

"So who is this guy again?" he asked the couple. Ed looked up from where he was helping Edna descend.

"Well, you know, I think Nya said it was _Lou…_ so that would mean it was Cole's father…I've only met him a couple of times but he seemed like a decent enough fellow."

"He's a performer." Edna added, as if that explained something in and of itself. But Ronin wasn't really listening—he was lost in a train of thought.

"Cole's dad…" he muttered. Wasn't that guy on the invite list? If he remembered right, Nya was the one to go see him. As far as he knew she had, though she hadn't really mentioned it. But Ronin couldn't remember him making an appearance at the funeral…

"Well, thanks for the lift, Mr. Ronin. I expect you'd like to be headed on your way now." Ed interrupted his thoughts.

"Er, yeah." He went to go back to the cockpit, but turned to give the Walker's one last look.

"You guys take care of yourselves, alright?" He added. Ed gave a smile and a wave. Ronin wondered if they even stood a chance out here…

 _Not my problem_ he reminded himself as he sat down in the driver's seat and lifted REX back into the sky. As he flew over the countryside, his earlier train of thought came back to him.

 _Dareth mentioned that Nya had said that this guy may be in some sort of trouble._

The pieces began clicking into place in Ronin's mind until he had come to the realization that maybe Harumi's appearance hadn't been the Brown Idiot's fault after all.

 _Knowing Harumi…this Lou fella is probably in a bad state._

He shook himself, trying to get back to the same apathetic attitude that he normally thrived in. But his brain just would not stop.

He thought of the message that was playing on repeat all over Ninjago city…the one that warned that those accused of helping the Ninja would be very, very sorry. He had gotten a few people off the beach and out of immediate danger, but that didn't mean they were off the hook. Harumi would track them down; she was relentless and Ronin had a feeling that she wouldn't stop until all Ninja sympathizers were put behind bars or worse.

He knew the Walkers well enough to know that they would head right back to the Junkyard. They wouldn't feel the need to hide or disappear...despite their genius in engineering, the couple could be hopelessly naïve. To them, the world was relatively the same as it always had been, it was just now they were missing their son. Dareth would go who-knows-where, trying to be discreet. But he was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop…it wouldn't take much effort for the SoG to track him down. Harumi wouldn't stop until everyone at that funeral was taken care of. Ronin knew she'd be back for Lou too…if she hadn't already…

 _STOP it Ronin. You were at that funeral too…and she's gonna be after you for it. Stop thinking about other people and focus on the most important thing: getting yourself out of here._

Why was he finding it so hard to forget about everyone else? It was true what he had said to Dareth; every time he tried to do something for someone it didn't work out well for him. Take this funeral, for instance. He tried to do something nice and now he was the target of an insane sociopath.

A wave of bitterness descended as he thought of Nya. He had tried to help _her_ …but she had made it clear that she didn't want his help. Now she was…well, _who knows_ what had happened to her. Or anyone left on that beach.

He pulled REX to a sudden halt. He felt frustrated, angry, irritated…and yes, maybe even a little hurt. But below it all there was something else.

Was that…a sense of _responsibility?!_

"I know I'm going to regret this." he muttered. Before he could think better of it, he flipped REX around and headed back to the outskirts he had just left.

26


	5. Part 4

Nicki's Story

 _ **16**_

The door slammed closed and the ninja heard the distinctive turn of a lock. They were in their quarters…which weren't too shabby, apart from the fact that they were sealed in.

"Why do I feel like there's a thin line between 'hostility' and 'hospitality' in this place?" Kai muttered.

"Does everyone realize that we just trusted _everything_ to Cole's conversation ability?! _Cole?!_ " Jay was early to begin his tirade.

Kai sighed. "I mean…I'm sure he'll be fine…"

"Need I remind you this is _COLE_ we are talking about?! The only problems the guy can solve are the ones that require _PUNCHING THINGS!"_

"That's not true." Zane spoke up. Everyone turned to him. "On occasion he employs bad singing…"

"OH GREAT. Maybe he can just _SING_ the Baron into giving us answers." Jay griped, kicking a wall.

"This is not the time to lose ourselves, ninja." Wu spoke up, hands behind his back like the proper 12-year-old sensei that he was. "No matter how Cole is at handling himself, he has granted us an opportunity to dig up some answers ourselves while the baron is distracted."

"Heavy-Metal made it quite clear we were expected to stay here until…" Zane began, but Wu waved a hand.

"Perhaps _I_ should have been clear that I do not intend to follow the Baron's orders," Wu said with a twinkle in his eye. Kai leaned over to whisper to Jay.

"You know…I always pictured him to be a lot more of a stick in the mud as a child…"

"Then I guess you were picturing wrong," the voice came from directly behind him, as Wu swatted Kai on the back of the head. He then jumped of the table he was standing on.

"Shall we?" he asked with a little smirk, gesturing to the door.

Kai rubbed his head ruefully.

"Gotta admit…he's still got it."

 _Dareth_

The door to Lou's house was askew, and Dareth couldn't help but gulp. Who knew what he would find in there? He pushed it open slowly.

"Lou? You in here?" he called, trying to keep the quaver out of his voice.

The house was in quite the state—shattered glass, trophies, and pictures were scattered all over the floor. He heard a cough and saw a figure hunched on the floor on the side of the room. Dareth rushed over to him.

"Lou! Aw man…are you alright?" he asked, feeling unsure about what to do. Lou looked pretty haggard as he looked up at the Brown Ninja.

"Dareth?"

"At your service," he said, with a small smile. "Now, c'mon, we've got to get out of here…"

"What's the point?"

Dareth looked down in surprise. He had known Lou for a while—at one point he had even been the manager for the Royal Blacksmiths. He had never seen the performer like this; it was like the light had gone out of his eyes. He had no idea what to say to him.

Lou slowly and painfully sat up. He looked sadly at a crinkled picture in his hand.

"He deserved better…" he muttered. Dareth was a little lost, but he couldn't help feel the need to rush the performer. Who knew when Miss Crazy would return?

"Can you stand?" He asked, looking around for Lou's cane. He located it semi-hidden under a nearby side table. He fetched it quickly and helped Lou onto his feet.

"Ahhhh…my back." Lou winced and put a hand on the place where he had connected with the trophy table. He and Dareth shuffled towards the door at an agonizingly slow rate. Dareth began to panic a bit…how would they ever make it out of town at this pace?

Lou seemed to catch on to Dareth's apprehension. He stopped walking and sighed.

"It's no use, Dareth. I'm in no shape for running and hiding…you had best leave without me."

"No can do, Lou. A ninja never leaves another…well… _friend_ behind."

Lou shook his head, brows furrowed.

"I'm afraid I'm not worth the trouble. Thanks to me, that monster is off terrorizing the last of my son's friends. I couldn't do anything to stop her…" He looked at the picture again, his face a mask of agony as his voice became distant. "I could _never_ do anything…"

Dareth had a feeling that Lou wasn't just talking about stopping Harumi's efforts to ruin the funeral. He sighed and put a hand on Lou's shoulder.

"None of us could stop that deranged lady…but that doesn't mean that we should give up now. We can't quit…because…because…" Dareth looked around for inspiration, wishing he was better at pep talks. He spotted a picture on the ground and scooped it up enthusiastically.

"…Because _they_ never would." He finished, displaying the picture of the Ninja. Lou gazed at it for what seemed like a long time, and then his eyebrows knit in determination as he seemed to come to a decision. He began walking towards the door again, a bit faster than before. They got outside and Dareth began to realize that he didn't actually know where they should go. Was _anywhere_ even safe anymore in this crazy city?

"Where to?" Lou was panting a little, the look on his face making it clear that he was in a lot of pain. Dareth tried to think on his feet.

"Uhh…well…"

His stalling was interrupted by the sound of an approaching air vehicle. His heart dropped; they were too late. Harumi had sent someone already. He got Lou behind a garbage bin and pulled on his brown ninja hood. By Joe, they weren't going to take _this_ ninja down easily!

The ship breached the row of houses and Dareth struck a pose…

"And what is _that_ supposed to be?"

It was Ronin, in REX. Dareth dropped his pose.

"What are _you_ doing back here?"

Ronin landed his ship.

"Just get in here before I change my mind. There's no way you're going to survive out here on your own."

Dareth had a brief inner battle between taking the thief up on the life-saving offer and pretending like he _could_ handle things on his own.

 _Aw, who am I kidding?_

"Lou! The calvery's arrived!" He said, helping the performer to stand once again. They made their way over to REX. Ronin clenched his jaw as he saw the state Lou was in and helped Dareth get him on board.

Dareth waited until they were in the air to say anything.

"So…uh…why the sudden change of heart?"

Ronin didn't reply at first, and Dareth figured that they were in for another silent flight. But then Ronin spoke up.

"I can't do anything to help Nya now…however that turned out. But I guess I just finally realized that that didn't mean I shouldn't do _anything."_

Dareth nodded as if he understood perfectly. And he did…sort of.

"So what's the plan now?"

"We pick up the Walkers…and then we get the heck outta town. We're gonna have to disappear for a while…"

Lou was silent in the back of the ship. He knew that he wouldn't be able to perform in the concert after all, for a number of reasons. He rubbed his back subconsciously. He couldn't help but feel a sense of loss over that fact. He looked back down at the picture of Cole that was still in his hand. He folded it neatly and put it in his pocket to replace his pocket square, which had been lost at some point or another. He then put both hands on his cane and looked out the window.

The pilot was right. Just because he couldn't do something before…and just because he couldn't perform now…well, that didn't mean that he couldn't do _anything._ His eyes hardened as he watched the first whispers of sunrise peak up over the horizon.

Yes…this time he intended to do something.

 _ **17**_

Cole gave himself a quick pep-talk as the Baron ushered him into the room.

 _It's fine, Cole…you got this. I mean, as long as he doesn't have any of that truth tea, you'll be fine…Aw man, why did I have to bring that up? New plan, just talk as generically as possible and if all else fails, punch your way out of here._

The Baron motioned for him to sit on a comfortable seat, while he sat on the other side of a large metal desk.

"Tea?" he asked, offering Cole a cup.

"NO!"

The Baron paused mid-offer, looking confused.

"Errr….no… _thanks_. Just ate and all. Still full." He sat quickly and silently cursed himself for being so bad at this.

 _Even Jay would have been a better choice at this point._

The Baron put the cup of tea down, seeming to ignore Cole's erratic behavior.

"Now, I must admit there's quite a lot I would like to know…"

"There's actually a lot of questions we have as well…so, maybe we could like…take turns or something?"

The Baron looked both thoughtful and amused.

"Yes…I suppose that would only be fair. Would you like to go first?"

"Um…sure. I happened to notice you seem to use dragons for lots of different things…"

The Baron seemed excited by his observation. "Yes, brilliant, isn't it? You see, throughout time we and the dragons have had such a…strained relationship, you might say. But over the last fifty years or so, we have developed new ways to keep our scaly neighbors in check." He smiled, looking like he expected Cole to be impressed. The Earth ninja just felt nauseous, if anything.

"The best Oni are actually trained here at the Fortress to become Dragon Masters." He had stood and gone to stand by the wall, which was actually a large window.

 _Dragon Master? Isn't that who Wu said we're looking for?_ Cole looked up and noticed that Baron was gesturing for him to join him.

"Becoming a Dragon Master has a tricky initiation process. Those who wish to join our ranks must go through several phases. The last phase is catching an actual dragon, independently."

Cole suddenly remembered something the Baron had said earlier.

"That girl, Keyda, was she going through initiation?"

The Baron sighed dramatically, as if the mention of Keyda brought up some bad memory.

"Ah yes. She passed her first few phases, but alas, she never was able to complete the final task. But considering that there was some accidental interference on your part, we did decide to give her another chance." Here he gestured down at something happening in a field below the window.

Upon closer inspection, the field was actually an arena, with an audience full of Oni yelling…it was hard to tell if they were cheering or booing. Cole was surprised to see that Keyda was in the middle of the arena, spear at the ready. It seemed something was about to happen, but Cole was distracted by what the Baron had mentioned earlier.

"So… _Dragon Masters…_ sounds pretty great. There wouldn't happen to be one…like…chief Dragon Master, would there?"

The Baron looked intrigued by his question. "A chief Dragon master?"

"Yeah like, maybe one who was sort of the most…" Cole tried to find the words. "… _masterly_ of the masters?"

 _I can literally hear Jay mocking me in my head._

The Baron narrowed his eyes, studying Cole more closely. The ninja tried to appear nonchalant and eventually the Baron smiled.

"I suppose there are legends of such a one… in fact, we took our title "Dragon Master" from these legends. _THE_ Dragon Master is supposed to take the form of a great Golden Samurai…an interesting tale. I tend to focus on what is can be achieved right in front of me, rather than look too closely into legends and myths."

In the arena, something was happening; the large doors on one side were opening and something was emerging from the shadows…

"I believe it is now my turn to ask _you_ a question…since you've had a few now yourself." The Baron said, causing Cole to turn away from the arena. He smiled, secretly hoping none of the questions were too difficult to answer generically.

"For a _leader…_ I must say you aren't very confident…"

 _Well…looks like I'm not fooling anyone…_

"Yeah, well…the truth is we don't really have a leader…we're just all brothers, you know…"

"Ah…brothers…I suppose that makes sense. I mean, you all look so much alike. _Especially_ the tin man."

"Titanium."

"Pardon?"

"…um…nothing."

The Iron Baron just shook his head, still looking amused.

"I must say you are a confusing group. How does one create a living person out of metal? It seems so…curious."

"Well…he's made of technology, you know? Do you guys have technology in this realm?" the Baron looked at him blankly. "Um…it's like where you take metal and you build something that can move or accomplish certain tasks…" he trailed off. He had absolutely no idea how to explain technology to someone who had never seen it before. If only Zane was here…

"Hmm…we have something similar. Except we take objects and mesh them with Oni magic to accomplish certain tasks." He looked at his staff. "In the ancient times, the Oni had powerful magic that could create powerful relics…unfortunately we have lost many of those arts."

Cole thought of the Oni Masks and shuddered inwardly. The Baron continued.

"However, we have managed to pull off a spell or two." He looked down at the arena, and Cole realized that Keyda had been joined by a large maroon dragon. The dragon looked furious as it launched attack after attack at the dodging Oni.

"Woah, wait…she has to capture that thing?" Cole asked, and the Baron chuckled.

"No…she has to _defeat_ the dragon if she wishes to become a dragon master."

Keyda seemed to be spending a lot of time on the defensive, while the dragon attacked again and again. It's eyes were blazing red.

"It looks so angry…" Cole muttered.

"Of course, a perfect example of what we were just talking about." The Baron smiled widely. "Most people would assume that a state of rage makes someone strong…but the opposite is actually true. The more enraged something is, the more vulnerable it becomes. And when something is vulnerable, it can be controlled." he gestured again at the dragon, which had almost taken off Keyda's leg. Cole turned in disbelief.

"Wait…you're _making_ it do that? You're forcing it to fight?!"

"Well it would be a pretty easy task if she had to defeat a _docile_ dragon…"

Cole couldn't believe it…the more he talked with this Iron Baron the more disgusted he became. True power didn't come from manipulation and control and making people fight to the death…everything about this place made a mockery of what he believed. The Iron Baron smiled again, but now his eyes flashed dangerously.

"I believe it's my turn once more. Now, I really am interested to learn where you're from…"

Cole swallowed, still not sure if he should tell this guy that they were from Ninjago; it just felt like a bad idea.

"Well…it's a realm that's pretty different from this one. I mean there are trees and an endless sea and towns…just your average realm, I guess."

"I see. And how was it you found yourself here?" his voice was still even, but it had seemed to gain some kind of underlying sharpness.

"It was an accident. We were in a tight spot and the next thing you know, we had crash landed here." _Not technically a lie…_ The Baron nodded, but his smile had disappeared.

"You see, that is the part of your story that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. We don't get many visitors to this realm because the only ones who can make the connection to it are Dragons and Oni. In order for you to have gotten here, you would have to have an _Oni_ with you…"

"Um…well, isn't that strange?" Cole began backing away slightly…the Baron's eyes were flashing again and he had a feeling things were going to go south soon. "Can't say _why_ we got here, really. I mean, I'm not an Oni…so it doesn't really make much sense, huh?" The Baron looked like he was peering into his soul.

"No…I suppose you are not an Oni. Though there does seem to be something..." He narrowed his eyes as if there was something about Cole he couldn't place. Cole, on the other hand, was getting pretty creeped out. He took a few more steps away from the Baron.

"Well I did spend part of my life as a ghost…so maybe that's what you're picking up on." He took another step for good measure. The Baron looked more confused.

"…What…?"

"Long story."

The Baron seemed to shake himself to get back to his point. His voice took on a menacing tone.

"At any rate, I must say I am eager to talk with the rest of your friends…perhaps we will get to the bottom of this mystery after all."

 _That kinda sounded like a threat…_

Suddenly, the door to the office flew open. It was Heavy Metal.

"Baron, sir! The colorful men have disappeared from their quarters! We are on the search now, but I felt like you should be aware…"

Irritation flashed across the Baron's face, but he smoothed it out quickly.

"Well…I'm sure they haven't gotten far. Besides," here he turned to Cole. "I'm sure they wouldn't leave without their _friend_ here, would they?"

 _Ok…that one was_ definitely _a threat. Looks like now's a good time to punch my way out of here._

Heavy Metal slammed the door and barricaded it, before he and the Iron Baron began approaching him slowly. He figured he could fight his way to the door and then _through_ the door… but from the sounds in the hallway it seemed like there were reinforcements out that way. His back hit the window and he sighed, realizing that he had one crazy option left.

"It's been a real pleasure, Mr. Iron Baron, sir. But I think that I should probably go find my friends now before they get into too much trouble." And with that, he turned and punched through the glass window, falling into the arena below.

 _ **18**_

Jay crept down the hallway, keeping a lookout for things that looked like…well…

"Hey, what is it we're supposed to be looking for again?" he called, and suddenly found himself falling to the ground.

" _OOF_ …who _tripped me_?" he whispered angrily, looking around. None of his companions were near him.

"Are you alright, Jay?" Wu's voice came up ahead, where he had been leading the group. His face was a perfect dead panned mask of concern. _Too_ perfect…

" _Tell_ me somebody saw him trip me? There had to be witnesses…" Zane helped him to his feet and shrugged.

"I'm afraid I was not paying attention…it really did just look like you tripped."

"We don't really have time for your paranoia right now, Jay," Kai cut in. "We're on the lookout for…um…"

"For clues about the Dragon Master." Wu was suddenly beside them all.

Jay groaned dramatically.

"Everything in this place has some kind of tie to dragons! Dragon scales, Dragon skulls, mounted dragon horns…how are we supposed to know where to find things about the _Dragon Master?"_

Just then, the group heard footsteps and the four ninja jumped and flipped into various hiding places as two guards walked down a perpendicular hallway.

"Yeah, after she failed initiation, the Baron said there'd be a Dragon Master battle instead! Hurry up, or we'll miss it."

The ninja waited until they couldn't hear the echoing of the footsteps anymore and crept from their hiding places.

"Well…what do you know? Dragon Master battle sounds like a good place to start looking." Kai said, peering around the corner in the direction the guards had gone. Suddenly, Heavy Metal's voice began echoing through the halls.

" _THE COLORED OUTSIDERS HAVE ESCAPED….THEY MUST BE FOUND AT ALL COST. I WANT EVERY AVAILABLE ONI SCOURING THE AREA…_

"It appears that we should hurry." Zane said, and the four ninja ran quickly in the direction the guards had gone. So quickly, in fact, that they caught up with them.

"Hey! It's those colorful guys!" one guard said, trying to land a blow on Kai. Within seconds, the two were unconscious and the group was on their way again.

"Great…we have no idea where this battle is actually being held…" Kai complained. "How do we know if we're going in the right direction?"

A loud dragon roar echoed down the hall.

"I'd say that's a pretty good sign." Jay replied.

 _Survivors_

Five SoG members were reaching the outskirts of the city as the first rays of sun broke the mountains in the distance. As they rode through town they had to pass the taped-off wreckage that had occurred from the Colossi's battle with the Destiny's Bounty. Almost subconsciously, three of the motorcycles stopped as their riders gazed at the wreckage. The other two pulled to a stop as well.

"We really should keep moving." Skylor said, her voice muffled in the stolen SoG mask. Nya and Lloyd tore their eyes from the scene and started their bikes back up. However, the third figure dismounted.

"P.I.X! What are you doing?" Nya hissed, but P.I.X.A.L didn't seem to hear her. She had noticed something a few yards away, half-buried in rubble. She ran quickly to retrieve it and made her way back to her stolen bike. Nya's heart tightened when she saw what it was.

Zane's bow was a bit mangled, but P.I.X.A.L felt confident that she could fix it. She wanted a part of him with her…even if it was just this. She had never tried archery but was suddenly determined to learn.

The group made their way downtown. Lloyd knew that they were well disguised, but he still couldn't help feeling like they were incredibly vulnerable here in the middle of the city. It had been P.I.X.A.L's idea to gather discarded SoG items from off the beach and use them to make their escape. The rest of the SoG had hardly noticed; they were too busy looking for something.

Coming to the city itself felt like a risky move, but Skylor said that she had somewhere where they could hide out that would be a little bit better than the caves by the sea. Besides, Harumi would probably scour that whole area now.

They continued to follow Skylor until she came to a sudden stop. The others stopped as well, looking around.

"Isn't this…your restaurant?" Misako asked. Skylor grinned, a little sheepishly.

"Now… I know that awhile ago I promised that I'd stick to the noddle business from now on…but sometimes a girl has got to have her secrets."

P.I.X.A.L and Nya shared a look; they could relate. Skylor led them to the back of the restaurant and looked around before pushing aside a large trash bin and exposing some crude graffiti. With a few deft presses, the area around the graffiti moved like a door, revealing a set of stairs. She led the group down below her restaurant.

"Wow, I love it!" Nya said, looking around the spacious room. In the center there were all kinds of training supplies. Along the walls were cases holding a broad selection of weapons. There seemed to be entrances to smaller rooms along the wall.

"I've been working on creating my own dojo." Skylor said, seeming both proud and embarrassed. "I was going to specialize in teaching children who discovered they had elemental powers, because, you know, I used to be good with a variety of those. You can all sleep in the different boarding rooms, and train out here. I can make sure you're supplied with enough food. "

"Very impressive," P.I.X.A.L said, looking at the cases of weapons.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok, still running your restaurant and everything?" Lloyd asked, concerned. "Harumi could target…"

"I had my hood on the whole time, Lloyd. I seriously doubt any of the SoG—Harumi included—knows who I am." she smiled. "It will seem _more_ suspicious if I suddenly close my restaurant down. But that has always just been a cover anyways—you can bet that I'm going to be training down here just as hard as the rest of you."

"We're very grateful for your help." Misako said. Nya threw a spear at one of the targets in the center of the room, hitting bulls-eye.

"This sure beats cave rocks," she remarked. Then she turned to Lloyd.

"So what's the plan?" The others looked at him too, expectantly. He frowned in concentration.

"I don't know just yet…but I meant what I said to Harumi that night. Together, we _will_ defeat her and my father." He looked at the women in the room with him. Each was a capable and incredible asset. And more than that, each was a real friend. For the first time in days Lloyd gave a genuine smile.

"She'll never know what hit her."

 _Harumi_

Harumi opened her eyes to find daylight streaking across the sky. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but the call of nearby seagulls reminded her. She bolted upright, and then winced as the motion caused her head to pound.

 _That inane water Ninja…I will destroy her._

She looked around the beach. It seemed she had been swept alone to some concealed cove. She got to her feet; time to track down those imbeciles she called allies. She looked down and noticed a sodden little tea candle, its wick and wax half burned out. She guessed its purpose and crushed it with her foot.

 _I will destroy them all._

 _ **19**_

Cole landed right on top of the enraged dragon.

"Oh, _perfect_ …" he muttered, hanging on for dear life. Further down the arena, Keyda was looking up with disbelief.

"You have got to be JOKING… are you bound and determined to _get in my way?_ " She leapt forward to attack the dragon while it was distracted by Cole. The Dragon whipped around, sending Cole flying into her attack. Soon they were both splayed out in the dirt.

"We…really should stop meeting like this…" Cole sat up with a wince. Keyda screamed in frustration and tried to attack him, but realized that she was missing her spear. She looked around and saw that it was on the other side of a very irate reptile.

"Don't you _realize_ what happens to me if I fail this test?!" She whispered angrily, trying not to catch the attention of the dragon. Cole had the same goal as he slowly got to his feet started backing away.

"Well…if it has anything to do with that Iron Baron fellow, it's probably not pleasant."

She glared at him.

"Oh, you _think?"_

"KEYDA" a voice boomed down. Cole sighed.

"Well, speak of the devil."

"You now have a new final task…defeat the outsider, and you will have passed initiation." The Baron continued.

Cole watched Keyda turn with a look of murder in her eyes. He put both hands up in defense.

"Now…let's not be hasty…"

She screamed and launched into a hands-on attack. He blocked her attacks and was able to land a blow and knock her off her feet.

 _"Look…_ I'm not your enemy, ok? I'm just trying to get my friends and get out of here…"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." She was up and coming in for another attack.

"Well… _I'm_ afraid that I'm probably going to do it anyway." He kicked her hard in her next attack and sent her flying. His ankle was feeling a bit better now, which he figured was probably good considering that the Dragon had caught sight of him.

He ran to the outer wall with the Dragon and the Oni on his tale. The Dragon was faster.

Cole did a quick dodge to the side as the Dragon lost control and slammed headfirst into the wall. The Oni in that part of the stand screamed as the whole section shuddered from the impact. The dragon shook its head, seemingly dazed.

"Cole?! What the heck are you doing in the Dragon Master Battle?" Jay's voice cut above the noise, and Cole looked over to see his friends come out of the door the dragon had entered from earlier.

"The outsiders! _GET THEM!"_ Heavy Metal's voice boomed, and Oni began swarming out of the stands to get to the ninja.

"No time to explain…let's just say it's time to get out of here," Cole said, running over. Wu looked pensive as he observed the general chaos, seeming to form a plan.

"Everyone, to the dragon!" he called suddenly. Cole shook his head.

"No _way_ …that dragon has rage like you would not believe…" he started, but then he noticed that the dragon's eyes were no longer blazing red.

"Huh…must have knocked the anger right out of him…"

"Cole! _HURRY_!" Jay yelled, and the black ninja realized that the rest of his friends were nearly to the dragon. He started running, punching a few Oni on his way, when he caught something coming at him from the corner of his eye. He ducked just in time and Keyda's swing missed its mark. She seemed to have found her spear.

"I really can't let you leave." She panted, positioning herself in between him and the dragon. "So I guess this is…"

"Look out!" Cole warned, but it was too late. The Dragon's tail whipped through the hordes of Oni and nailed Keyda in the side, sending her flying. She hit the wall and was knocked out cold.

" _NOW_ Cole! _GET OVER HERE NOW!"_

Cole went to run to the dragon, but he hesitated and looked at the Oni girl lying in the dirt. He couldn't get what she had said earlier out of his mind.

 _Argh…I know I'm gonna regret this._

He sprinted to where Keyda was and hoisted her over his shoulder before taking off towards the dragon once again.

 _"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"_ Jay screamed, incredulous. Kai and Zane looked equally baffled.

"Don't worry about it!" Cole snapped back as he leapt on the back of the dragon. "Just get us out of here!"

Wu patted the neck of the dragon, and the dragon opened its wings and took off into the air. They headed right for the ceiling.

"TURN! TUUUURN!" Jay screamed, but the dragon seemed bound and determined.

"Looks like this place is about to become an open air theater," Kai muttered as they all braced themselves for the impact. Fire exploded from the dragon and they soared through the hole it had melted and into the night sky.

 _Baron_

The Baron watched the dragon soar through the ceiling with an unreadable expression. Heavy Metal was doing some heavy breathing, due to both his own anger and his fear at the Baron's impending reaction.

The Baron was quiet, seemingly deep in thought. Without a word to Heavy Metal, he turned and walked out of his office. The people he passed in the hallways darted out of his way with looks of fear, but he didn't pay them any heed. He eventually reached the door that opened into a staircase and he made his way down, grabbing and lighting a torch on his way. In the underbelly of the fortress, the torchlight danced across pictures painted on the walls. The Oni had always had a tradition of keeping pictorial histories, and there were enough drawings here to give a historian a lifetime of work. But Iron Baron was looking for one account in particular, and didn't pay any heed to the pictures he passed.

At the end of the long hallway, there was a large painting depicting something from centuries ago. He lifted his torch for a better look.

A majestic white Dragon made up one half of a circle, with a crouching Oni completing the other half. In the middle a small boy smiled. A small boy, who, the Baron couldn't help noticing, looked _incredibly_ similar to the one he had just witnessed steer a dragon through his arena ceiling. A slow grin spread across his face.

"Well well…doesn't this make things interesting…."

 _ **20**_

Lou was beginning to feel useless. He hadn't been without his performance group since…well, since as long as he could remember. But after his connection with the Ninja had been revealed to Harumi, he had become a target for that madwoman. He had no idea what the ninja had ever done to her…but apparently it was bad enough to wipe them and anyone who even _cared_ about them off the face of Ninjago.

But without his performing group, he had no direction, no _purpose._ He had tried writing songs to calm his nerves…but the gruff pilot—who he had learned was named Ronin—had put a stop to that.

 _Some people just do not understand true art!_ He thought, sullenly. He watched as Dareth passed by for what seemed like the hundredth time. He had been pacing the length of the cave they were in for the past 30 minutes or so.

"Hmm…what if we…" Dareth began as Lou sighed. The poor chap had been coming up with crazy ideas ever since they had come here, trying to figure out a way to defeat Lord Garmadon.

"I believe I told you to _shut up,_ " came the unforgiving reply from across the cave. Ronin was underneath some kind of vehicle. "Try her again, Ed." he said, talking to the older man sitting in the vehicle's driver's seat.

"Okie Doke," Ed twisted something or other and the vehicle hummed with life. Ronin pushed himself out from under the vehicle and wiped his hands on a filthy towel.

"Well, that's another one up and running at least."

Lou huffed in annoyance.

"Please, do tell me _again_ why we're hiding out in this…this tech-cave place?"

Ronin looked at the performer, annoyed. Lou was beginning to think that there were few times that the man _didn't_ look annoyed.

"Nya's old Samurai-X cave is the most hidden location I know about at the moment. We should be safe from Harumi and her goons here. At least for the time being."

Lou thumped his cane on the floor impatiently.

"Yes, yes, and that's all fine and good. But when are we going to _do_ something?"

Ronin patted the newly restored vehicle.

"We _are_ doing something. Nya and the rest of them have made it clear that they're bent on some suicide quest against Garmadon and Harumi. I don't know where they are at the moment, but I figure that sooner or later they'll be grateful for a bit of machinery to help them out." He looked around at the different machines in the cave. "Doesn't look like she's been here in a while." he mused, mainly to himself now. "None of these vehicles are running at full caliber."

"But I thought the last time you saw the ninja, they were surrounded on a beach…" Lou cut in, not sure why the thief was choosing to be so optimistic now when optimism clearly wasn't one of his natural sentiments.

"Trust me, if they were dead, we would have heard about it." Ronin cut him off.

Dareth looked at Lou and shrugged.

"He's right about that one. In this instance, I guess that no news really _is_ good news. I just hope that wherever those poor ninja are, they're doing alright."

 _Survivors_

Lloyd took a large bite of his noodle bowl and groaned in delight. Skylor really did know quality food! He looked up at Nya and P.I.X.A.L, who were still on the training ground.

"Hey, why not take a break? Skylor sent some more grub." He called out. Nya blasted a wooden dummy with water.

"Nah…not hungry."

"Not even for a puffy pot-sticker?" he asked invitingly, waving one at her with his chopsticks.

Nya shook her head, smiling at her friend's antics. The smile soon fell however; puffy pot stickers reminded her of Dareth, and for the umpteenth time she found herself wondering if they made it out ok or not. Had they gone back for Lou? Had Ronin actually helped them, or dumped them all off somewhere? She blasted another target. She hated that she didn't _know_ anything…and that she was stuck down here instead of off somewhere doing something. She was grateful for Skylor's dojo and the safety it provided, but she was beginning to get some serious cabin fever.

"Perhaps it would be wise to take a break." P.I.X.A.L chimed in, lowering her bow. It was actually Zane's old bow, newly refurbished, and the robot Samurai was becoming quite skilled with it.

"Listen to the robot, Nya. She knows what she's talking about." Lloyd called. Nya sighed in mock annoyance.

"Well, _fine…_ if you're all gonna gang up on me." she marched over and snatched Lloyd's noodle bowl out of his hand.

"Wha… _hey!_ There's enough here for you to have your own, you know!" he said, trying to grab it back. Nya held it out of reach and began to eat it.

"Mmmm, you were right, this _was_ worth the break."

Misako watched them from across the room, smiling. She was glad to see that everyone was basically back to their old selves. After the tragedy from a week or so earlier, she wasn't sure if they were going to make it through grieving with their friendship still intact. It was good to see them joke around now.

"And what are _you_ laughing at, Mom?" Lloyd called out, catching her smirk.

"Oh, nothing…" she replied, as she continued her task. "There, finished! What do you think?"

The three friends walked over to the wall Misako had been working on. Posted across the wall were pictures of Kai, Zane, Cole, Jay, and Wu that the historian had scrounged up from who knows where. Some were of them separately, but many were group pictures taken across the years.

Misako noticed that the three teens didn't say anything, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. She smiled sadly.

"I've always felt that pictures give places a homie feel. Besides, I thought we could always use the reminder of what we're fighting for."

"Makes sense." Nya said, voice breaking a bit. Lloyd touched a group picture in the center of the collection; it was taken when he was still just a kid. He clenched his jaw at how happy they all looked. Misako saw their expressions and sighed.

"Maybe it's a bit too soon…"

"Not at all." Nya cut in, trying to give a smile. "I think it's great."

"Like you said…a good reminder." Lloyd added.

"I think it looks awesome." Skylor's voice chimed in from behind. Everyone turned to greet her.

"What is this for, Skylor?" P.I.X.A.L asked, moving to help the red-head with the heavy-looking box she was carrying. Skylor grinned in reply.

"Well, I figured it must be frustrating to be in this underground bunker with no eyes to the outside. So I've spent the last week collecting parts to build a computer system down here. That is," here she looked at Nya and P.I.X.A.L. "If you think you guys are up for it."

"Are you kidding? It'll be nice to finally do something with _purpose_ down here!" Nya said, eagerly rifling through the box.

"And it will be beneficial to be able to observe the outside world." P.I.X.A.L added. Lloyd just shook his head and grinned.

"You know, as long as you ladies have got that under control, I think I have some unfinished business with the buffet Skylor brought down earlier…" he said, wandering back to the food. Nya grabbed his arm.

"Oh, no you don't. The sooner we get this up and running, the sooner we can start making plans for what we're _really_ gonna be doing." Lloyd couldn't help but notice that she had a very persuasive argument.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's get this thing up and running."

20


	6. Part 5

Nicki's Story

 _ **21**_

The dragon touched down in the middle of nowhere. But considering that _everything_ looked like the middle of nowhere in this crazy realm, the ninja figured it was as good a place as any to land. They dismounted, Wu holding out his arms for Cole to catch him. Cole, however, had his arms full with a certain Oni.

"Ok, _now_ you wanna tell us why you brought her along?" Jay asked, helping a disgruntled Wu off the dragon.

Cole looked around for somewhere to put Keyda, who had started to stir.

"I don't know, ok? It's just that…"

Keyda woke up and screamed, using arms and legs in full attack mode. It took Cole by surprise and he dumped her on the ground.

"YOU! What have you done?! Where am I?!" she looked around wildly. The other ninja all took a step backwards. Cole put his hands up, like he was calming a crazed animal.

" _EASY…_ you're fine…we just…um…"

"Woah, not _we_ boulder-brain!" Jay said, catching Keyda scowling at him menacingly. "This was _your_ idea!"

Keyda turned to glare daggers at Cole and stood.

"I should have never saved your life! All you've done since then is _get in my way!_ "

"Yeah, really looked like you had a handle on that dragon back there!" Cole snapped back. He was definitely regretting bringing her along.

"What do you want from me, huh? Why kidnap me into the middle of nowhere?!"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Look, I didn't _kidnap_ you…"

Zane cut in. "Well…considering the definition of kidnapping is…"

"Shut up!" Cole and Keyda both cut off the titanium ninja, who raised an eyebrow. He, Kai and Jay were standing near the dragon, watching the fight. Jay leaned over to his friends.

"Wow…is this what it's like when Cole and I fight?"

"Well I'm _sorry_ if I've inconvenienced you after you tried to _kill me!"_ Cole continued in the distance.

"Yep... this is exactly what's it's like." Kai responded.

"I wasn't going to kill you, idiot…"

"Yeah, our escape made sure of that!"

She scoffed. "You call this an escape? The Iron Baron _will_ find you! And by taking me you've made me an accessory to your plans. Was that what you wanted? Are you going to force me to give you information?!" She crossed her arms like she would like to see him try.

He groaned in annoyance. "When will you get it through your head that we're the _good guys?!"_

"Oh is _that_ what you are? So good guys kidnap people now?"

"I was trying to _SAVE_ you!"

"Are you _insane_?"

"Because you said that if you didn't finish the trial, the Iron Baron would do something terrible!"

Keyda narrowed her eyes, but didn't reply. Cole sighed and his voice got softer.

"And I knew that after we left…you would fail…so I just figured…"

"That you would carry me off with your doomed posse to go starve in the wilderness so I wouldn't have to face the Baron's wrath." she said, finishing his sentence. " Such a gentleman."

Cole threw his hands in the air and turned to leave.

"FINE. _Whatever._ Head back to the fortress then…no one's keeping you here."

"How exactly will I do that, Idiot? I have no idea where we even _are!"_

Cole had already stormed off though, leaving a fuming Keyda behind with four wary ninja. For a moment it looked like she would turn her rage on them, but instead she turned and marched off in the opposite direction.

"Well…that could have gone better." Zane commented. Jay chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, you can say that again. Maybe one of these days Cole is gonna learn that you _can't_ save everyone! Especially people who were trying to kill you moments before."

"That entire trip was a waste of time." Kai commented darkly. "We went for information on the Dragon Master, and we didn't get anything." He felt a swish and looked down to see his pants falling off.

"What the?!..." he said, looking to find his belt in the dirt next to him.

"We don't know for certain what information we don't have." Wu said, a few meters away.

"Did he just…" Kai started, but no one was really listening.

"What do you mean, master?" Zane asked.

"We do not know what information Cole received from the Baron." Wu explained. Jay rolled his eyes.

"Knowing Cole…not much. I mean, my guess is the Baron tried to feed him to the Dragon after the first ten minutes." He felt something brush his neck and slapped it, but there was nothing there.

"We will have to wait for Cole to return and ask him." Wu continued. Jay's belly growled.

Zane laughed. "Perhaps I should get some dinner started…"

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. He figured that he should get to sleep, but it was hard to feel motivated to sleep when he knew there wouldn't be anything pressing to do the next day. He had to admit the pallets Skylor had placed in the dojo were better than the cave floor they had slept on a few days back, but they still weren't all that comfortable and he found himself missing his bed on the Destiny's Bounty. Just another thing that was lost a week ago…his home. Not that it was the _first_ time they had lost it, but still.

Everyone was looking to him to think up their next step…but the truth was he really wasn't sure what they should do. He felt pretty good about their fighting force…even if it was missing many of its members. He felt a jolt of melancholy thinking about that. He had worked around many of these women long enough to know they were skilled; he knew that together, they could do amazing things…

But _what_ amazing things? How should they actually go about attacking Harumi and his father? Remembering the monster his father had become still made him feel sick… how could he even call _that thing_ his father? It was nothing like his father…perhaps he should just refer to him as Garmadon like everyone else.

He found himself thinking about his Dad. He had left him when Lloyd was little…left to go grow two new arms so he would be powerful enough to hold all four golden weapons and conquer Ninjago. But he had come back because of Lloyd; to save him from the mistakes he made. Growing up, Lloyd had revered his father's evil side and wanted to be just like him. But after joining with the Ninja and Wu he had felt for the first time in his life what it felt like to be _good…_ to help people. It was like he had unlocked some part of himself he hadn't even known about.

It was at that point that he really didn't want his father to be evil anymore. And becoming the Green Ninja meant that he would have to face his father someday…and he really didn't want to do that either. Yet through it all he was comforted by the fact that his father didn't want to fight him either; in fact for a while he had done everything in his power to make it so that Lloyd wouldn't be the Green Ninja. Lloyd remembered that day that Garmadon had joined with the Overlord to get everything he wanted. Yet when it came to hurting his son he had fought back within the overlord's clutches to _save him._ Even at Garmadon's wickedest, Lloyd never once doubted that his father loved him.

His eyes smarted as he remembered the time after his dad had had the evil stripped from him…when he had become the man that he could have always been. Sometimes Lloyd let himself wonder what it would have been like if his father had never been bit by a snake. He would have been raised by the man Garmadon had become post Overlord battle. Sensei Garmadon was a stern and sometimes strict father as he tried to get Lloyd to truly become one with his power and with his role as Green Ninja. But once again, he was always there for Lloyd as his fiercest protector.

When he had chosen to sacrifice himself for Ninjago, Lloyd had been so angry. He had had his father walk out on his life several times, and he couldn't bear the thought of him leaving all over again. But he came to terms with it eventually and deep down he understood that it had to be that way. And then…seeing him in the Cursed Realm…and losing him _all over again._ It was like fate couldn't give him a break. He was just going to continue to lose things he cared about…again and again.

It had taken Lloyd awhile to truly come to terms with his father's loss. But of course, the second he had some crazy villain had to go out of their way to bring him back. But this Garmadon was nothing like his father…not even at his father's evilest. He seemed like a puppet…a shell of his former self running on nothing more than hate and vengeance.

 _Maybe that's why he and Harumi get along so well._

Lloyd sat up and got out of bed. He needed to stop getting trapped in these thoughts…they just left him feeling empty and helpless. He was walking around the dark dojo trying to clear his head when he noticed light coming out of the room where they had started building their new computer system.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked Nya, as she screwed another panel into place. She jumped at his voice and almost took a fighter's stance, but caught herself as her brain processed who it was.

"No. Not when there's finally something I could be _doing._ " She went back to screwing. He nodded, understanding how she felt.

"So…how's it coming?"

She sighed. "I'm grateful for Skylor's work in getting all this together…but we are definitely missing some pieces. And there's at least one of them that I don't think she's going to be able to track down."

"Why's that?"

"If we really want this to help us make plans for the outside, then we need something that's going to connect us to Borg tower. Its kind of hard to explain, but if we could get ahold of this certain piece—called a mega processor- than all the technology involved in that building would be on _our_ side. Considering that it's the tallest thing in Ninjago that could come in really handy."

"Did the Bounty have a piece like that?"

"Yeah…but there's barely any wreckage even left from the bounty. Harumi's been destroying it all."

"Ok, so we can't find it in the bounty. But if you were able to get ahold of a mega processor for the bounty you at least know where to get a new one, right?"

Nya sighed. "Yeah, but that's the tricky part. The only person who would have a mega processor that could connect to Borg tower is Cyrus Borg himself. He's the one who gave me the piece for the bounty…but at the moment he's…"

"…Kinda hard to get to." Lloyd finished. None of them had had any contact with Borg for a while, and certainly not since Garmadon had taken control. Skylor said that no one really knew what was up with the inventor though the general thought was that he was holed up in Borg tower somewhere.

"Exactly. If we send Skylor there it's gonna raise all sorts of suspicion and possibly even blow her cover."

"Well…then I guess it's a good thing that the one person who knows Borg better than anybody else is on _our_ side." he said, putting a hand on Nya's shoulder.

She looked up at him and smiled, realizing who he was talking about.

"Yes…actually, that _is_ a really good thing."

 _ **22**_

The ninja gathered around their hastily made campfire to enjoy more of Zane's mystery skewers. The dragon was curled up and asleep on one side, and Kai and Jay were using it to lounge against as they joked. Cole was still off, claiming to be gathering more firewood. Zane looked down at the skewer in his hand and then over at the figure sitting many yards away, her back to the group.

Keyda had her arms around her knees with her head resting on them. An inner fury still crackled underneath. She had been _so close!_ She had done everything that was required of her, but still without the prize. She couldn't help wonder what the Iron Baron would do when she got back. Despite his perfect calm, everyone knew he was ruthless. She wouldn't be surprised if she lost her head for this forced insubordination. But even if the Baron did nothing but return her to her former station…it would still be awful. She was in a lose-lose situation, and it was all _his fault._

She was surprised when one of the outsiders took a seat next to her. It was the shiny one…the metal man. She still wasn't sure what kind of magic they had used to put him together; he seemed far too gentle to be made with any destructive Oni force. He smiled at her kindly and held out a skewer with what looked to be mop-plant fibers tangled in little lumps. How delightful.

"I figured that you might be hungry." Zane said, offering one of his skewers to Keyda. She made no move to take it, staring up at him with distrust. The nindroid was unfazed.

"My name is Zane, by the way. In all the excitement, it seems we never did introduce ourselves." Keyda snorted in response.

"Kai is the one in red, and Jay is the one who has a penchant for talking," he gestured to the two ninja laughing by the fire. "Wu is our…um…the child." he finished. Keyda didn't respond, and the two sat in silence for a while.

"What do you want?" she finally muttered. The metal man wouldn't go away and she figured that he was after something. There was no such thing as nice without motive.

"We want to get home." he answered, staring up at the moon. She looked over at him. "You see, we're from another realm…a beautiful one. And we have friends there." He looked sad, as if he was thinking of somebody in particular.

"Sounds fantastic." she said dryly. "If you liked it so much, why did you leave?"

He shook his head.

"We did not mean to. But we hope to find someone here to help us."

She snorted again. "I think you're looking in the wrong place. 'Helping' is not really an Oni sentiment."

Behind them, Jay began yelling at something or another and the two turned to watch. Kai was doubled over laughing as Jay frantically patted out a fire on his leg. "I swear, I had nothing to do with that!" the red ninja was saying.

"You all seem pretty close." Keyda said dully. She had never really seen such sincere laughter…who were these people?

"Yes." Zane was smiling over his friends' antics. "We consider each other brothers. We have been together a long time."

Something twisted inside Keyda. "Brotherhood. Another sentiment you aren't going to find here." she muttered.

"Zane!" the one called Jay was yelling at the metal man now. "Cole's back and is gonna tell us what the Baron said! Hurry up!"

Zane turned and waved at his friend, and then stood to go.

"Are you sure you aren't hungry?" he asked, offering the stick once more. Keyda sighed and snatched it from him. She supposed it wasn't going to do her any good to starve to death before she could be reunited with her fellow Oni.

Zane walked over and joined the group at the campfire. Cole was seated with his own skewer.

"Lemme just say…that guy is creepy. He seems all nice and cheery on the outside, but there's something in him that seems really…dark." Cole shuddered as he remembered the harrowed look in the Baron's eye.

"So apparently there are a lot of Oni that consider themselves Dragon Masters." Cole said, continuing. His friends looked confused.

"Oh, of _course._ Because otherwise it would be too easy to track down the real one." Jay griped.

"I did ask if there was like…you know…a _main_ Dragon Master, but he kinda avoided my question. He just mentioned that there was some legend about a Golden Samurai…"

" _That's_ who you're looking for?" The group looked up to see Keyda standing over them. "You're chasing fairy-tales?! _THAT'S_ what this has all been about?!"

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited to see if she was going to explode at them again, but she simmered down into her usual deadly glare. Wu spoke up.

"I don't suppose you'd mind telling us more about these…fairy tales, would you?"

Keyda looked like she was going to turn to go.

"C'mon, if they aren't real, what would it hurt?" Kai pressed. She rolled her eyes but seemed to consider the idea.

"Fine. Whatever." She took a seat next to Zane. "Nobody really talks about it much, you know. The Iron Baron doesn't really like everyone talking about legends and prophecies and what-have-yous."

"Legends, prophecies, and what-have-yous…sounds like a quick recap on our lives." Jay interjected. Kai motioned for him to shut up.

"But despite that, word still gets around about them. THE Dragon Master…the Golden Samurai you mentioned," she made a point not to look at Cole, "he's supposed to be filled with the Power of the Dragons. He's the ultimate weapon against Oni magic."

Kai whistled slowly. "No _wonder_ the Iron Baron isn't keen on this guy." Keyda glared at him.

"He isn't real, stupid. He's just something that ancient Oni made up to scare people into behaving. But Iron Baron doesn't need fairy-tales to keep people in line." She said darkly, staring into the fire. The ninja looked at each other; the mood definitely got a lot heavier.

"So the tale isn't real," Zane said, comfortingly. "Out of curiosity, does it mention how one would go about finding the Golden Samurai?"

Keyda looked up at him with a sardonic expression.

"How subtle. I'm telling you, the guy doesn't exist…"

"Then why would it matter if you told us how to find him?" Cole challenged. She glared across the fire at him.

"Legend says that you would need to track down the pieces of his dragon harness."

"Sounds simple enough…any idea where to find them?" Jay exclaimed. She rolled her eyes.

"You'd have to track down the four guardian dragons. One for every core element. It's said that they guard the pieces of the harness, and once they are combined the Dragon Master is summoned."

"One for every element? You don't say." Kai said, looking at his companions. What better people to track down elemental dragons than elemental masters?

"Yeah, so you all have fun on your fool's quest. Maybe you'll even succeed before the Baron catches up and does away with you all." She had stood again and walked away from the group. They all watched her go in silence.

"So…" As usual, it was Jay who broke it. "Any ideas on how to track down the elemental dragons?"

"There is a reason you four have come here." Wu said, once again cryptic to a fault.

"We see the connection between us as elemental masters and the elemental dragons…but Sensei, how do we actually…" Zane stood and promptly fell over, noticing that his legs had been mysteriously tied together at some point. Wu's face was dead pan as the ninja laughed.

"It will take some soul searching, Ninja. But I am confident in your abilities to do this." He walked away from the group, hands behind his back in a very sensei-like way. "Everyone get a good night's sleep…because we start that search at dawn."

Cole looked over to where Keyda was walking away. He doubted that it would do much good to go talk to her, but deep down he had been feeling pretty bad about the whole situation. He ran to catch up with her.

"I do _not_ want to talk to you." she said warningly, not turning around. He sighed. This was off to a great start.

"I figured. I just…wanted to say that I'm sorry."

She turned to glare at him.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Your empty words?"

He shrugged. "Look, I know it probably doesn't mean much, but you were right before. I did get in the way once or twice…even though it was on accident…and yeah, it was wrong to take you from your home. It's not the most ideal of circumstances, but I just wanted to say that if there's anything I can do to make up for…"

"You can die a slow and painful death."

He blinked. "Well…maybe something else."

She turned and started walking away again, but he continued to follow her. "I can't help but notice that you don't seem to have a lot of love for that Iron Baron guy. Why are you so eager to get back?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "Eager? This doesn't have anything to do with what I want, Idiot. The Baron will find you and I will return with them and there will be consequences. I don't know what dream world you and your friends sprang out of, but here you fall into your place in the hierarchy of power. And those of us on the bottom don't get a lot of say with those on the top."

"Is that why you're trying to become a Dragon Master?"

She pushed him away. "Get away from me. Stop trying to get in my head."

He shook his head, amazed at her cynicism. "I'm not trying to get in your head…I'm just trying to _understand…_ "

"Well understand _this:_ I want to be _left alone._ " She turned away but had stopped walking. She had nowhere to actually go and she knew it. She waited for him to say something else, try some other form of manipulation. But she just heard a quiet " _Okay"_ and then footsteps as he walked away.

She turned her head and watched him go. She couldn't figure any of these outsiders out…were they really stupid enough to be chasing after legends? Didn't they know what the Iron Baron was capable of? An unheeded memory of fire and screaming entered her mind and she quickly shook her head to clear it.

She knew that these outsiders were powerful…she had seen some of their hidden powers in action. Yet they pretended to be kind and gentle and trustworthy. It reminded her of the Baron…and it disgusted her.

She walked over to a nearby boulder, figuring it was just as good of a place as any to sleep for the night. She had a long walk tomorrow and she planned on getting an early start.

 _ **23**_

Initially, P.I.X.A.L had been against the idea.

"I may have been a crucial part of Borg industries in the past…but it's been years since I've even been to Borg Tower. So much has changed!" she argued.

"Maybe so…but you're still our best option of getting to Cyrus Borg," Lloyd pointed out. Nya nodded in agreement.

"I know it feels like a long shot, but the truth is that without that piece we aren't going to have the head-up on Harumi. And with everything against us…it would be really nice to have something going _for_ us."

P.I.X.A.L understood their concern. She had avoided crunching any numbers that had to do with the likelihood of actually beating Garmadon and Harumi…she had long since learned that it was better to take these fragile situations one day at a time rather than relying on success rates. But she was also unsure of her abilities of getting into Borg tower, let alone tracking down Cyrus Borg.

Despite all, she now found herself scaling the iconic building in the dead of night, looking for an air-duct entrance about a third of the way up as she avoided the S.O.G sentries. She wasn't even sure she would find an air-duct, but logical architecture engineering would have placed one around here somewhere… Ah, there it was. As she carefully pulled the grate out and shimmied in the tunnel, she found herself thinking about her creator. She had last seen him over a year ago while helping the ninja save him from the Hands of Time. Except at the time she had been Samurai X and Borg hadn't recognized her. The last time she could recall seeing Borg in _person_ was…well, shortly before Zane's first funeral. She often caught herself wondering if Borg even knew what had ever happened to her. Did he know she had been taken to Chen's Island? Did he realize she spent a long time stuck in Zane's neural processor? She cared a lot about Borg; he was her creator, after all. In fact, his kidnapping by the Hands of time was one of her main motivators for once again taking on a physical form and becoming Samurai X.

Zane referred to his creator as his father. She had never called Borg that, and he mainly referred to her as his assistant. Yet she knew that he cared for her as her maker…it was definitely as close to a parental relationship as she would ever have.

What if she couldn't find him? Or what if she _did?_ What would she even say? How would he react? It annoyed P.I.X.A.L to be faced with questions that she had no way of computing answers for.

She had reached the end of the tunnel and hesitantly scanned the hallway before exiting. She wasn't sure what to expect in the Borg tower. Was it still under Cyrus's control, or had Harumi made changes here? She decided her best option would be to not be seen by anyone or anything until she had spoken to Borg.

Now that she was inside, she set her processors for a complete scan of the building. It took her a few minutes to hack into the tower's security system and a few more minutes to load the scan. She frowned in concentration as she studied it. She had been right…Borg tower had changed a great deal. She could pick out a few familiar rooms, such as the production floor and the prototype-testing facilities. However, there were many rooms that didn't seem to make any sense. There seemed to be some large room under construction in a central area of the tower. It appeared to have with no apparent purpose in a technology plant; what could that be?

She snapped out of her musing, reminding herself why she had come here in the first place. She needed to find Borg…where would Borg be? There seemed to be an office-type room near the top of the tower. That is where his work office had been in the old tower, so perhaps it was safe to assume that this room was his new office. She committed the proper route to memory and began to carefully make her way down the hall. She stopped suddenly, realizing that there was a security camera up ahead. She sighed…that would make all of this a bit more difficult. Having hacked into the system, she could technically shut it off…but she wasn't sure who was actually in control of the tower and she figured the shutdown of all the different cameras would trigger red flags to anyone monitoring the cameras. Luckily the hallway was narrow and she was able to shimmy up the walls until she was basically at the ceiling with her arms on one wall and her legs on the other. Then she began scoot her way down the hallway, above the security camera. She figured it wasn't the only one she would encounter…this was going to take longer than she thought.

 _Lou_

Like many great artists, Lou's epiphany came to him in the night. He spent the early hours of the morning thinking it through, waiting for dawn's rays to wake his companions. Eventually the other occupants of Nya's Samurai cave woke up and began wandering the cave like a bunch of half-dead zombies. Lou, in contrast, was downright perky.

"I have it!" he cried, and Ronin scoffed nearby, where he was sipping a hot drink.

"Whatever it is…don't share. It's too early for me to be dealing with idiocy."

"We have been holed up in here for far too long and it's high time we actually go out into Ninjago and make a difference." He was standing on a box now, talking in his excited-and slightly overbearing-way.

"But Lou…we can't go out there…" Edna said, sitting next to her husband on the hood of a car.

"The little lady's right…Harumi's got goons all over this city. They'd spot us in a moment, even with my incredible stealth skills." Dareth added.

Lou didn't look impressed by these arguments. He put his hands behind his back, the way he did before giving a rousing speech to his disheartened quartet after a particular bad show.

"So what, we just give up? We sit in here all day dinking around with machinery? The ninja would expect more from us. We need to be out there…," he flourished his cane towards the cave entrance, "…among the people, among the very citizens of Ninjago, so we can be aware of everything going on and thus best position ourselves to strike."

"Wow, _really_ moving stuff there Lou," Ronin grumbled, feeling like he had just filled up his daily dose of idiocy after all. "But Dareth's right. There's no way out of here without being recognized."

Lou smiled in reply. "Perhaps, if we were traveling as _ourselves…_ or taking your easily-recognizable flying contraption." here he gestured to REX. "But Harumi would never be on the lookout for a performance group!" He put both hands in the air, as if spelling something out in lights. "Ninjago's Finest Traveling Theater!"

He was met by silence and blank stares. Ed looked around at the others.

"Eh…does anyone else know what he's talking about?"

Lou leapt off his box. "We disguise ourselves as a traveling theater, and doll up one of these vehicles as our tour bus. We go from village to village, town to town, performing in the day and collecting information by night. This _will_ work…I've travelled many times with the Royal Blacksmiths and there is little people won't tell a bunch of harmless performers. We'll have all the information we could need…and we could plant some seeds of rebellion along the way."

"You can stop talking already…this idea is border-line lunacy _._ " Ronin cut in. He looked around for support, but to his disgust he noticed Dareth seemed to actually be considering the idea.

"You know, I _am_ a master of disguise…" he whipped out a makeup kit that he had been hiding who-knows where. "I could make us unrecognizable…"

"Where'd you get that?!" Ronin asked, gesturing to the kit. Dareth looked smug.

"A true ninja always comes prepared."

"Yes…disguises, _perfect."_ Lou said, Dareth's involvement kicking his zest up a notch.

"Is everyone forgetting one main problem?" Ronin was incredulous. "We know _nothing_ about performing…and how the heck are we supposed to put on a play with only five of us?"

Lou waved away his concern. "Mr. Ronin, I have been part of the performing guild for many years. The truth is all you need for a good show is a hero," here he gestured at Dareth, "a villain," He pointed at Ronin, "and a damsel in distress." He finished with a flourish towards Edna, who seemed a little flattered.

"I know a certain water ninja who would take offense at that statement…" the thief grumbled.

"Ooo, what could I do, Lou?" Ed asked eagerly. Lou turned and put a hand on the inventor's shoulder.

"You, Ed, are a wizard of pyrotechnics. You shall be our backstage champion and take care of all the lights and sound."

"You'll be the star, won't you Lou?" Dareth added, but Lou shook his head.

"Alas, my singing and performance style are too recognizable. The cost of being famous, I'm afraid." Ronin rolled his eyes nearby. "No, I cannot perform. But I _can_ direct! With our talents combined, we will make performing history!"

"Alright, that's enough." Ronin was standing now, glaring at everyone. "I'm having no part in this insane endeavor, so you'll have to do go get yourselves killed without me."

"But Ronin, the show must have a villain!" Edna gasped, and Ronin shook his head in disgust.

"Gee…how kind, but I'm serious. Besides, I lack the skills for this sort of," he paused, looking for the right word. "Embarrassment."

"C'mon, Ronin." Dareth pressed. "How many times have you sweet-talked your way out of a jail sentence? If that isn't quality acting, than I don't know what is."

"Indeed Mr. Ronin. Without you, I'm afraid the plan will never work." Lou said, but that didn't seem to bother the thief much. "Besides being an excellent cover, this plan will make you famous!" Lou tried again, but Ronin was already walking away.

"And… _rich."_

Ronin stopped. Lou smiled in victory.

"Do you have any idea how much money there is to be gained in theater? The more famous you are, the more people come to see you, the more they pay. As simple as that."

Ronin didn't say anything, but he appeared to be listening. Lou continued, feeling confident.

"And with all the secret underground info we collect, we can find a way to connect with the remaining ninja. I'm sure Nya and the rest would appreciate our help…"

" _FINE…_ I'll do it." Ronin turned. "But I expect a large cut of the paycheck."

Lou looked at his four companions, smiling despite the overwhelming challenge he had just brought upon himself to whip them into a performing masterpiece. "Then let's get started."

 _ **24**_

Jay was having a really strange dream. He was back in his parent's junkyard, but Oni kept popping up out of the junk piles and throwing mystery-meat skewers at him. He ran to the trailer and banged on the door, but when his parents answered they were wearing stage make-up and talking in weird accents.

He woke with a start. "I have _got_ to stop eating mystery food before bed." he mumbled, turning over to go back to sleep.

 _What would you be willing to give?_

His eyes popped open. Who was _that?_

 _Master of Lightening…are you willing to pay the price?_

He had sat up now, feeling fully disturbed.

"Oooookaaaay…whoever's doing that, you can stop now. Wu? Is that you?" But he could see all of his companions, and none of them were stirring.

Could it be the Oni? But how would they know he was the Master of Lightening?

 _Are you willing to pay the price?_

Suddenly in the distance, he saw some kind of blue glow. He shook the person next to him.

"Kai…Kai…wake up so you can tell me you're seeing this too." His friend didn't stir. Jay's heart started pounding…what was going on?

 _You seek the harness…are you willing to pay the price?_

The blue glow got brighter, and Jay gave up trying to wake any of his friends. They were out cold. He muttered to himself, angrily.

"Great…might as well check out the weird phenomenon on my own. Just another day in the life of Jay Walker…"

It didn't take long to reach the blue glow; it emanated from a dome-shaped rock formation. As Jay approached a doorway seemed to appear in the stony wall.

"Oh yeah, that looks super inviting," he said, continuing his sarcastic narration to help keep his nerves down. He entered the doorway slowly, unsure of what he'd find.

In the middle of the dome crackled a huge dragon, lightening coursing through his body. Jay recognized it immediately.

"My energy dragon?! You're _real?_ And you can TALK…How long have you been able to talk?"

 _You seek the harness of the Dragon Master._

"Uh, Yeah, you know about that then. We kinda need it…and fast. I don't suppose you know where to find it…?"

 _Are you willing to pay the price?_

"See, not gonna lie, when you say stuff like that it freaks me out. Could you maybe tell me what the price is and then we can talk more about it…"

 _Everything has a price. If you seek the harness of the Dragon Master, you must be willing to pay the price._

Jay just stared at his former energy dragon, here in the flesh. Why couldn't anything ever be _simple_ and _uncomplicated_ and not require _some UNEXPLAINED CHARGE?_

 _If you are not willing to pay the price….than you must leave._

The doorway had opened up behind Jay again, and began to suck him out.

"WOAH…Mr. Lightening Elemental Dragon….we can talk about this, can't we? I mean, we're buds, right?" he had fallen on his hands and knees, trying to keep himself from getting sucked out of the cave.

 _If you want the harness of the Dragon Master, you must be willing to pay the price._

"Yeah…I GOT THAT…but you have yet to say _WHAT THE PRICE IS_."

 _It is time for you to go._

"WAIT!"

The sucking suddenly stopped, and Jay found himself lying face-down in the dirt. He looked up at the dragon with disgust.

"OK…FINE. I'm…willing to pay the price." He immediately flinched, waiting for something awful to happen. After 30 seconds of nothing, he looked around. His energy dragon was glowing though…something golden… that's when he noticed that harness on its back. It was all a deep blue color except for one half of the saddle. That part was Gold.

 _P.I.X.A.L_

P.I.X.A.L stared at the door in front of her, trying to predict what she would find on the other side. Should she knock? Find a way to sneak in? Once inside, would she finally be reunited with Cyrus Borg?

She was about to push the door open when she picked up a voice coming from the other side.

 _Harumi._

She froze in place, unsure of where to go. She needed to know if Borg was in that room, but if Harumi came out and caught her…

She made her way down the hall, trying to see if there was another way into the office room. She spotted a duct near the ceiling and within seconds she was inside. She paused in the tunnel, confident that she was hidden now and encouraged by the fact that she could make out the conversation below.

"How hard is it to track down a handful of people, Borg? You're technology is supposed to be the most advanced in the world." P.I.X.A.L narrowed her eyes at the self-proclaimed Empress's threatening and cruel tone.

"Tracking powerful objects is one thing…but tracking down specific people is another." P.I.X.A.L's processor hummed as she recognized her creator's voice. "Technology isn't _magic…_ it can only do so much."

"Well, for your own well-being, I suggest you get it to do _more."_ With that, Harumi stormed from the room and slammed the door behind her. P.I.X.A.L waited a few minutes to make sure that Harumi was truly gone and then popped the vent out.

"Who's there?" Cyrus called, spinning at the sound. His stony demeanor seemed to melt when he saw who it was.

"P.I.X.A.L? Is that really you?" he asked. P.I.X.A.L noticed that his voice seemed to break a little. His awe quickly turned to urgency. "You must leave here, at once! Who knows what they'll do if they find you!"

"I am not leaving without you," she said with a smile. He shook his head.

"No…I'm afraid this time there is no saving me, dear P.I.X.A.L."

 _This time? Is he referring to when he was held captive by the Overlord, or…_

"I never would have guessed when I programmed you all those years ago that you would turn out to be such a hero…world's best assistant _and_ world's best Samurai. I must say…I'm very proud." He caught her shocked expression and laughed a little.

"What, you didn't think I would recognize you? I suppose I didn't, at first. But the more I looked into this Samurai X the more sure I was that it was you. I truly am sorry for not reaching out more…but it seemed like you were dedicating to 'flying solo' as it were." His face fell and he looked both sad and guilty. She touched his arm.

"There is no apology needed…"

Borg looked up at her with a determined expression.

"I'm sorry if you've come all this way just to rescue me. I am deeply grateful, P.I.X.A.L, truly I am. But there's really no way of springing me out of here…not when I'm so…." he trailed off, looking down at his legs. He cleared his throat and continued. "They'll definitely notice I'm missing as well. Ever since they moved in I haven't had a moment of peace…"

"Moved in?" P.I.X.A.L asked, surprised. Was this where the SoG were based?

"Ah yes. Not all of the SoG live here, mind you." he said, seeming to read her mind. "Just the top shelf…That large fellow, the deranged violet one, the mysterious nindroid…and of course, Harumi and Garmadon. Well…I assume Garmadon lives here…I actually haven't seen him as of yet. But he seems to stick pretty closely to Harumi so I assume he can't be far off." Here he sighed, almost disgustedly. "She's even building a _throne room_. Of all the wasteful…"

P.I.X.A.L wasn't listening. Harumi and the rest were stationed _here?_ It was good information to have…but also made her situation all the more precarious. As much as she hated leaving Borg here she knew that she wouldn't be able to get him out from right under their noses. Not yet, anyways. Best to get what she came for.

"I do want to free you…even if it can't be today. But the reason I'm here is actually because we are in need of a mega processor that connects to Borg tower."

Cyrus Borg looked intrigued.

"Ah…I see what you're onto. Just like the bounty had, eh? Yes…the size of the tower has always given it incredible range for scanning and such…I could see that having that would be indispensable. However," here he looked P.I.X.A.L. in the eye, " should something go wrong, the processor could betray your current position to Harumi and the others. You would have to be incredibly careful in the way that you set it up."

P.I.X.A.L nodded once, acknowledging the danger. "Do you have one, then?"

Borg smiled and began rummaging around through his desk.

"I must have one somewhere around here…I had one on stand-by because Misako was going to upgrade Lloyd's Destiny Shadow with a fully operational scanner… aha!" He pulled out a piece. "Here it is."

P.I.X.A.L took the piece with a nod of gratitude and stowed it in a pocket. She made her way over to the vent she had entered from.

"…P.I.X.A.L?" the inventor called out. She turned to see him smiling sadly at her. "I… I really am very proud of you."

P.I.X.A.L felt something catch in her heart.

"And I really am going to be back for you." she replied. And then she was gone.

 _ **25**_

The Iron Baron looked out over his forces. He had every Dragon Master in the fortress prepped for this assignment, each with their land dragon armed and ready.

"Are the outsiders really powerful enough to warrant the full Dragon Army?" Heavy Metal was at his side.

A smile played at the Baron's lips.

"One of them is." He said, and then raised his voice to address the crowd.

"Dragon Masters! We ride for the sake of the Oni. We must not fail in our quest. Bring me the boy—the outsider child. If you come across Keyda, bring her back as well. I do not care what happens to the rest. Now GO." he waved his hand and the army took off across the desert. The Baron jumped from where the balcony he was standing on and landed on his own land dragon, which roared in protest until Heavy Metal landed next to him and pulled harshly on the reins.

"How do you know they went this way?" Heavy Metal asked as they set out after the rest of the army. The Baron chuckled softly.

"Because I know who they're looking for."

 _Ninja_

Jay's yelling woke the ninja up the next morning. Within seconds they were all on their feet, ready for anything. But…where _was_ Jay…

"UP HERE!"

Kai looked up to see his friend on what appeared to be…

"Is that your elemental dragon?! How did you _do_ that?!"

The dragon landed with thud, kicking dirt in the air. Everyone gathered around.

"So uh…I found one of the guardian dragons…" Jay said, trying to pull off nonchalant but being a bit too smug to do it well.

"Ok…and _how_ did that happen?" Cole asked. Jay jumped off the dragon and recounted his evening's escapade.

"So…what was the price?" Zane said, asking the question everyone was wondering.

"Um…I don't actually know. I still _feel_ the same, you know?" He shot off some lightning to demonstrate.

"Perhaps it was more of a mind riddle…you were not granted the piece of the harness unless you proved it was needed above all costs by being willing to pay any price." Zane mused.

"You know, let's go with that. That sounds less threatening to my future." Jay said, and Cole smacked him on the back.

"You really did it, motormouth." He and his friends took a moment to look at the partially-gold harness.

"How come Jay's always the first to do things? First to learn spinjitzu, now this." Kai said, only slightly complaining. Jay shrugged.

"Guess I'm just more gifted than the rest of you."

"Oh my gosh…IT'S REAL."

The ninja turned to see Keyda staring at the dragon, mouth hanging open. She had heard all the ruckus and seen the dragon in the sky…but she hadn't believed what she was seeing and had come for a closer look.

The guardian dragon of light…there was no way! All of that…it was just a _story._ But here was the proof…and the harness on the back of it…

The dragon sprang into attack mode without warning, launching a blast of lightening at the Oni. She screamed and leapt to the side.

"Woah, JAY! Control your dragon!" Cole yelled, running towards Keyda as the others tried to hold the Dragon Guardian back. It launched another blast and Cole slammed his arms into the ground, the impact springing a rock wall up from the earth. The blast hit the wall, exploding it to rubble as Cole grabbed Keyda's arm and yanked her away. She seemed really dazed.

" _JAY"_

"Iiiiii'm Trying! But he just keeps saying 'The Oni must Die' over and over again!" Jay said, trying in vain to pull himself into the harness of the jolting dragon.

"It seems that there is still some bad blood between the Oni and the Dragon…" Zane said, trying to freeze the dragon into place to allow Jay to ascend.

"You think?!" Kai was mainly trying not to get trampled as the Dragon bucked and smashed through the ice. It fired more lightening towards its mortal enemy.

Cole pulled Keyda out of the way once again, but she lost her footing and dropped to the ground. He noticed she was shaking really bad—seeing this fairy-tale come to life bent on destroying her was probably more than a little threatening. Cole positioned himself in front of her, activating his earth punch and glaring the dragon down.

The dragon was about to fire again, but Jay had finally gotten into the harness and yanked back.

"NO, bad dragon, _BAD DRAGON_ ….Cole is our friend!" The dragon turned and seemed to look at Jay as if it wanted to say something. Jay sighed and shook his head.

"I'm afraid we're stuck with her for the time being, so you're just going to have to keep your Oni-slaying instincts at bay." The Dragon growled in reply.

With the dragon seemingly under control, the other ninja relaxed. Cole's arms powered down and looked at Keyda on the ground. He offered her a hand.

"You ok?" She still seemed pretty shaken. She looked at his hand and batted it away in disgust.

"I'm _fine._ " she said, standing on her own. Cole rolled his eyes. Apparently she wasn't too shaken to remember she hated him.

She folded her arms defiantly, but Cole noticed that she stayed behind him and out of the direct path of the beast. Eventually she looked over at the smashed earth that he had punched moments earlier.

"How did you do that… _?"_

He shrugged awkwardly. "Um…just a talent that I have…."

She raised an eyebrow. " _Why_ did you do that?"

He just stared at her, not even sure what to tell her. He had a feeling that she wouldn't accept anything he had to say anyways.

"I don't need your help." She said, glaring at him. He bit back a sarcastic reply about how it hadn't appeared that way moments before. He sighed.

"I told you before…we're the good guys. Is it really that horrible to have _friends?"_

"Oni don't need friends!" She snapped. Cole turned and looked at the dragon, which was still glaring at them.

"I don't know…the way I see it, anyone who can have an enemy could use a friend."

She scoffed. "Oh, is that right? And remind me again which one _you're_ supposed to be?"

He met her eyes, which were still full of anger, and just shook his head in defeat.

"I guess that's up to you to decide." He said finally, and then turned to go get a closer look at the dragon.

Keyda stayed where she was, feeling her anger get jumbled up with so many other confused feelings, and getting _more_ angry because she had confused feelings. She tried to clear her mind and focus on the biggest problem in front of her.

There was an elemental dragon. It had part of the dragon master's harness on its back…the legends were _true._ Fear gripped her stomach as she thought about what that meant. Suddenly, an unexpected thought came to mind.

The Iron Baron could be destroyed.

 _P.I.X.A.L_

P.I.X.A.L stuck to the dark areas of the street. She had considered getting more a of a scope of the rooms in Borg tower while she was there, especially now that she knew that Harumi and the rest were living there, but in the end she had discarded the idea. Best to get the piece to the dojo, and perhaps they could use it to get a better scope from a safer distance.

Her scanners picked up on a flit of motion a few yards behind her. It could be anything; a cat, a person closing shop for the night…but a sense of foreboding warned her she was being followed.

She turned down a few random streets, and sure enough, the flitting shadow followed. In one swift movement she had spun, nocked an arrow, and sent it flying. The figure dodged out of the way just in time. They landed in the shadows, so P.I.X.A.L couldn't make out who it was. She realized with annoyance that she was standing in the yellow pool of a streetlight, an easy target for whoever had been trailing her. She kept her bow pointed at the place the figure had landed and slowly stepped out of the pool of light.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She challenged. The figure pulled out a sword, and P.I.X.A.L unleashed another arrow. They knocked it to the ground, seemingly effortlessly. The figure looked up at her, and for the first time she noticed two glowing red eyes. She stiffened as she realized who had almost followed her right into their safe haven.

"You're on the wrong side."

P.I.X.A.L blinked in surprise at the raspy, metallic voice.

"You can talk?!"

"You're on the wrong _side._ "

He unnerved her. She remembered their battle on the beach not that long ago…he had grabbed her arm, as if he wanted to say something. Now she learns that he _could_ speak…so why didn't he before?

"I'm on the side that stands for the right." P.I.X.A.L repeated, subconsciously paraphrasing something Zane had said to her long ago. She made a point of drawing her bow back. She was met with chilly and unsettling laughter as he began walking towards her.

"I recognize that bow…"

She released the arrow. He batted it away.

"It belonged to _him_ …didn't it? The Ice Master." He knocked another arrow off course. P.I.X.A.L continued to fire, taking steps back as Mr. E continued to come forward.

"You must have been close to him." Three more arrows, but they hardly caused him to pause.

"Stop it." her voice was hard. He was toying with her…and she wasn't one to be toyed with.

"You have much potential…on the right side, you could be great."

She would run out of arrows eventually…but she wasn't sure she could outrun him either. Her processors were working in overtime to find a way out.

"You have miscalculated…I would never join your side." she stalled, still trying to process her escape.

"My data is reliable…because you already _have_ before…"

 _The virus._ He had planted that virus in Zane, and it had infected her. She had attacked her friends and been powerless to stop herself. She felt both fury and fear as she realized that all of that had been _his_ fault…and that he was correct.

"It didn't take much to turn you then. It won't take much to turn you now…"

P.I.X.A.L launched herself into the air as he attacked. Grabbing the pole of the street-light, she swung around and kicked him to the ground. Then, continuing her momentum, she flipped herself onto the top of the streetlight and used it as a springboard onto the roof of a neighboring building. She turned briefly to see if he was pursuing her, but he was still on the ground, just watching her. She shuddered as she darted into the night, unnerved by both his unblinking stare and the threat in his words.

24


	7. Part 6

Nicki's Story

 _ **26**_

Keyda didn't like the way the dragon was looking at her, but at least he seemed resigned to the fact that he couldn't kill her. She supposed that was going to have to be good enough for now.

Up to this point, she had accepted the fact that the Baron would eventually catch up with them, kill the outsiders, and possibly her as well. There were no other options. But now…sure, this dragon was part of a legend that represented the biggest threat to Oni-kind…but it also stirred up foreign emotions within her. Like _hope_. If these outsiders could find the other dragons, then maybe…just maybe…they could destroy the Iron Baron. It was a concept that had always been too impossible to consider, but now that it was just that _bit_ more possible she couldn't help but think that maybe she would help these colorful idiots after all. She looked over at the group of them right as the one in red suddenly began freaking out, squirming and yelling and jumping around. She shook her head, slightly amused; they sure needed all the help they could get.

"A BUG?! Down my shirt…are you _kidding me?"_ Kai yelled, looking around for the culprit. That's when Keyda noticed a ghost of a smile on the child's face. It was gone almost as quickly as it came, but all the random attacks on the outsiders over the past few days suddenly made sense.

She found herself laughing in spite of herself, and the child gave her a guilty smile. Kai glared at her.

"Are you serious? Why would you even _do_ that?"

She held her hands up. "No way, hot-head. I had nothing to do with that."

"Then what's so funny?" Cole was looked at her curiously.

The child winked at her, and she chuckled again.

"Nothing. Just how stupid you all are." she said, regaining her deadpan expression. The other ninja seemed to shrug off her answer, but she caught the Idiot still staring at her.

"What?!" she asked, amusement replaced by irritation. Cole held up his hands in defense.

"Nothing…it's just…um…I've never seen you laugh before." he finished awkwardly, rubbing his hair with one hand and not meeting her eyes.

She looked at him for a minute.

"Yeah…which I suppose _is_ impressive, considering how _laughable_ you all are." she said, stone faced. She turned and walked away.

Cole watched her go and didn't notice that Kai and Jay were right beside him.

"Oooo….I'm beginning to see why you _really_ wanted to bring her along…" Jay teased. Cole glared at him.

"Shut up Jay." he turned to go help Zane…do whatever he was doing.

"I don't know, Cole. I mean, she's kind of pretty when her eyes aren't filled with murderous hatred…" Kai added, joining in on Jay's fun.

"Huh, well, maybe _you_ should tell her you feel that way." Cole said, brushing off his friends and heading to Zane. Kai and Jay continued to chuckle and fist-bumped.

Meanwhile Keyda was staring at the rising sun. She had so many emotions within her, it was driving her insane. Life was a lot simpler when she only had fear and loathing. She touched her face. Was she….smiling?

Suddenly a sound echoed over the rocky terrain, and her smile disappeared. She recognized those horns.

She began running back to the group.

"We have to go! _NOW!_

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"Don't you get it? Those are the Baron's battle horns—he's on his way and he brought his army!"

 _Survivors_

Lloyd watched Nya pace the span of the dojo for at least the 20th time.

"I'm telling you, I'm sure she's fine!" he assured, trying to sound confident. Nya didn't look too sure.

"She's been gone _all night_ Lloyd! What if something happened? How would we ever even know? I knew we should never have…"

Footsteps on the staircase caused them to both look up. P.I.X.A.L walked into the room, looking exhausted. Nya reached her first with Lloyd close behind.

"Oh, Pix! Thank goodness! Are you alright?" Nya asked, looking at her android friend as if she expected to find some injury. P.I.X.A.L gave her a small smile.

"I am fine, Nya. I was able to locate Cyrus Borg, and he gave me a mega processor." She pulled the piece out of her pocket and Nya grabbed it in disbelief.

"You did it! Oh Pix, you're _incredible!"_ she said. Lloyd noticed that P.I.X.A.L didn't look as excited about the job well done.

"Are you alright, P.I.X.A.L?" he asked, and Nya clued in on their friend's melancholy air as well.

"Did something happen?"

P.I.X.A.L looked lost in thought. "It's nothing…really." Suddenly she looked up, remembering.

"Cyrus Borg said that we must be _very_ careful in applying the processor, because even though it will give us valuable information, it may also allow Harumi and the others to locate us because they have taken Borg Tower for themselves…"

" _What?!"_ Nya and Lloyd spoke at nearly the same time. P.I.X.A.L quickly filled them in on her visit to the Borg towers.

"What would Harumi want with a technology tower?" Lloyd muttered as P.I.X.A.L finished her update. "Just the prestige?"

"I'm afraid that isn't all…" P.I.X.A.L's eyes were downcast as she related her run in with Mr. E. For whatever reason, the whole situation made her feel ashamed.

"I stayed out the rest of the night…just to be sure that he didn't follow me. I only came back when I was 100% certain I was alone." she concluded.

Nya shuddered.

"I can't believe that guy can talk. He always creeped me out…"

"P.I.X…it isn't true what he said." Lloyd added, noticing that P.I.X.A.L was still staring at the ground. She sighed in return and sat down.

"You both knew Zane for a long time, correct?"

Nya and Lloyd looked at each other, a little baffled by the change in direction. Lloyd took a seat next to her, and Nya followed suit.

"Yeah, I knew him ever since Kai and I joined up with the group." Nya said, and Lloyd nodded.

"I mean, I didn't know him as long at Nya…but it was a while." He grew quiet, suddenly lost in memories.

"Why do you ask?" Nya prompted, and P.I.X.A.L looked up at her.

"In all that time…did he ever…malfunction?"

Nya and Lloyd both started laughing, as memories of Zane's many malfunctions came to mind.

"Well, you know, it seemed like if it wasn't one thing it was another…I'll never forget when Jay programmed him to talk like a pirate," Nya said, giggling.

"Wait…when did Jay do that?" Lloyd asked, but Nya waved him off.

"But Pix, you were in his head for all those moments. You've seen him malfunction plenty of times."

"I suppose those kinds of malfunctions, yes. But did he ever…go against his programming?"

Neither friend knew what to say…they weren't even sure what P.I.X.A.L was asking. She tried again.

"Zane was specifically programmed to protect those who cannot protect themselves…did he ever malfunction and go against that programming?"

"Well…there was one time when he was briefly affected by the Overlord…" Lloyd said, "But I don't think he ever hurt anyone at the time. Other than that…I can't think of any…"

"And yet, I have done so multiple times now." P.I.X.A.L sounded devastated. Nya touched her arm.

"P.I.X.A.L…"

"I attacked you shortly after meeting you, Nya. I was used to attack innocent people... _children._ While I was within Zane I never had any of those problems, but after becoming Samurai X I was again used to hurt people. I knocked the Bounty out of the sky…" she seemed to fold inward. "I could have killed someone…"

"But Pix…" Lloyd tried, but she cut him off as well.

"What is it that made Zane so infallible and yet makes me so vulnerable? By all logic, I should get away from you both because just my being here is a liability…"

" _P.I.X.A.L."_ Nya was using her angry voice now. "You are _not_ a liability. It's true that things have affected you in the past…but you aren't the only one. The Overlord turned me into a crazy psycho puppet and made me attack my friends."

"Remember when I was possessed by Morro? I had no control over what I did either." Lloyd chimed in. "But the scars of the past can't make us worry about the fights of today."

"Perhaps you are right…but the Overlord and Morro are both now defeated…whereas the people who controlled me are still at large. I would never forgive myself if they were able to do so again…"

"Then we will just make sure that doesn't happen." Nya stood abruptly. "You are one of us, Pix, and you're not going anywhere." She held up the mega processor. "Now, who's going to help me install this bad boy?"

 _ **27**_

The ninja rushed over to the two dragons, but the Maroon dragon took off before any of them could mount it. That just left Jay's dragon, which struggled as it hoisted the six of them into the air.

"I know, I know…it's rough but we've got no better options!" Jay yelled at his dragon. Kai looked at Zane.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Jay's dragon complains almost as much as _he_ does…"

Wu was holding onto Zane for support. He called up to Jay.

"We need to find the rest of the Elemental dragons! Ask him if he knows where they are!"

Jay looked down at his dragon, then back at the child.

"He says that if we want to seek out the rest of the harnesses, we have to go to Dragon Haven…"

"Where the heck is Dragon Haven?" Kai yelled, trying to be heard over the battle horns. They seemed to be getting louder.

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW? I'm just repeating what he's telling me!"

"Just tell him to take us there, Jay!" Cole yelled, turning around. There was dust on the horizon and he could make out the first line of land dragons.

Jay paused a moment, as if listening.

The swift land dragons were coming closer by the minute. The over-burdened guardian was going to be overrun if they didn't do something quick.

"HE SAYS HE CAN'T!" Jay's voice screamed.

Kai shot fire at a passing land formation, knocking huge chunks out that he hoped would slow the Baron's forces down. "WHY NOT?!"

"Because he would never take an Oni there." It was Keyda who answered from her perch next to Cole. He looked at her, concerned.

"Yeah! What she said!" Jay called from the front. "…Apparently it's a no-Oni zone!"

Cole opened his mouth to say something, but the Baron's magically amplified voice cut him off. Despite his voice being incredibly loud, it still sounded as calm and silky poisonous as ever.

" _OUTSIDERS…WE WILL SOON OVERRUN YOU. IF YOU WANT ANY CHANCE AT SURVIVING, YOU WILL TURN OVER THE CHILD."_

 _"_ It seems he is onto Wu's identity…" Zane noted. Keyda looked over at the small child, who looked surprisingly calm. She _knew_ there was something off about him! She looked behind her as the army approached and her heart sank. There went any hope she might have had. Cole noticed her expression.

"Keyda…it's gonna be alright…"

"NO…you idiot, it's _not_ going to be alright. The Baron is here. He won. This dragon isn't going to get us out of here." she moved towards the edge of the dragon. "I'm just as dead down there as up here…" Cole grabbed her arm.

" _No…_ we'll figure something out!"

She looked at him vacantly and shook her head.

"Don't be an imbecile."

And with that she pulled her arm from his grasp as she jumped off the dragon.

The rest of the ninja watched blankly as she fell, landing on top of a rock formation she must have been aiming for. Then, rather unconsciously, they all looked at Cole. He was staring at where she had landed in shock.

Kai snapped out of it first.

"OK Jay, _tell him to get us there now!"_

"HE SAYS HE STILL CAN'T" Jay yelled, having entered full panic mode. The Oni army was getting closer…

"WHAT?! WHY?"

"BECAUSE THE ONI ARE TOO CLOSE AND HE CANT RISK THEM FOLLOWING US!"

Jay's panic was infecting the rest of his companions. Even Wu looked at a loss for what to do.

Cole stood up on the dragon, looking over the edge for something to land on.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! JUST LET HER GO!" Jay screamed at him, while Wu grabbed his leg.

"This isn't about her, guys. This about putting space between you and the Baron." He locked on a target.

"Cole, you cannot defeat them all on your own…we will come with you and let Wu get to the safety of the Dragon Haven…" Zane said, but Cole shook his head.

"I don't have to defeat them; I just have to buy you some time. The rest of you have dragon harnesses to find; you all need to get to that haven."

"SO DO YOU, BOULDER BRAIN!" Jay screamed. Sometimes he wished it was possible to knock sense into his friend's thick skull.

Cole looked down at Wu, still holding his leg. The small master knew that Cole had a point, but he didn't look happy about it. Cole smiled.

"Then I guess you'll all have to come back for me." And with that, he jumped.

 _Survivors_

Nya wasn't one to lose. She gave another battle cry as she launched herself at her opponent, who dodged nimbly out of the way.

"You're going to have to try harder than _that_ , Nya."Skylor smirked.

"I'm not losing to someone who's been spending all her time making noodles for the past few years," she retorted, launching water at the amber-dressed restaurant owner. Skyler flipped out of the way once again.

"See, that's what's going to get you in trouble. Assuming I spend all my time with noodles."

She used a dummy as a springboard and launched herself at the water ninja, who was only barely avoided the attack.

"I see what you mean," Nya panted. Suddenly, an arrow flew past their faces. They turned to see P.I.X.A.L standing with her bow.

"Sorry…but I needed to catch your attention. Misako wants to see us."

The three girls made their way into Misako's room, which was full of scrolls and books that she had asked Skylor to scrounge up for her. Lloyd was already in there, waiting.

"Good, you're all here." Misako started. "I think I've found a way to defeat Garamdon and Harumi." She pulled out a scroll with a picture of a white dragon and a dark colored figure.

"The dragon and the Oni." Lloyd commented, recognizing the picture. Misako nodded.

"The power that brought Garmadon back…and the power that he is currently wielding…is dark Oni magic. It is incredibly powerful, but can be combatted by its opposing force." she gestured to the dragon on the picture.

"But where are we going to get a dragon?" Nya asked, "We haven't even been able to conjure our energy dragons for months!"

"Yes…with the rising force of Oni magic in Ninjago, the opposing dragon force has been forced into decline." Misako explained. "Which explains the absence of both Lloyd's Ultra Dragon and your energy dragons."

"Ok…so how do we combat that?" Lloyd didn't really know where his mom was going with this.

"Based on the research I've done, I feel confident that if we were to destroy the three Oni masks that were used to bring your father back, we could disrupt the overbalance of Oni power and make it possible for you to summon your dragon again." here she turned to Nya.

"Though it makes logical sense, it does seem like a long shot…" P.I.X.A.L pointed out.

"It's also the only shot we seem to have." Skylor added, and the android had to admit that she was correct.

"Alright, new plan: get the masks." Nya said determinedly. "Then we can figure out how to destroy…"

"LLOYD GARMADON…"

The sudden voice echoed throughout the dojo, cutting Nya off. The group looked at each other in panic….it was Harumi.

 _ **28**_

Keyda watched him fall, incredulous. She had told him not to be an imbecile. Did he ever listen? _No._ He hit the rock formation hard but was on his feet quickly, scurrying down the side at an impressive rate. She watched him run into the open space that the Army was now heading for.

What was he doing? This was a whole next level of stupid, even for _him._

She crouched down on her own formation as she watched. Her hope was that by abandoning the doomed outsiders she could hide up here unnoticed until…

Until _what?_

She realized with frustration that she didn't even have anything to survive _for._ She finally sighed and started to descend the rock formation.

 _Cole_

Cole reached the center of the open space…only to realize that he had an army of dragon-riding personifications-of-destruction bearing down on him and _no plan._

He let himself panic for a second, and then looked down at his hands. He had never really tried to test the limits of his earth punch…to be honest he had been worried what the consequences might be. But at the moment he didn't really have a lot of options.

 _Let's see what these babies can do._

 _Keyda_

Keyda had a hard time climbing down quickly because she was busy watching to see what the fool would do next. He was up ahead of her, and she had a pretty good view. He brought his hands together and closed his eyes.

 _What's your plan? It better not be to rely on the Baron's mercy…because that will end very, very badly for you._

She noticed an orange-glow moving up his arms; his face contorted. She had seen that once or twice…before he used that "talent" of his. However, he seemed to be digging deeper and he began to yell. At first, nothing happened changed…but then she saw the orange glow move up his neck and down his chest. What was happening?

The Dragons were nearly upon them; whatever his plan was, he had better do it fast!

Small pebbles seemed to roll towards him on the ground; there was a heavy aura in the air as he continued to yell and the glow got brighter. Then, his eyes flew open, also glowing bright orange. He slammed his fists into the ground and all chaos broke loose.

 _Ninja_

The Dragon picked up speed the moment Cole jumped off, and if he hadn't been so furious Jay might have made a derogatory comment about his friend's weight.

"THERE IS SO MUCH I WOULD SAY RIGHT NOW IF CHILDREN WEREN'T PRESENT!" He shouted. "DO I GO BACK FOR HIM?"

"No." It was Wu who answered, voice stern. "We cannot help what has been done. We must make the most of this opportunity and move on with the plan. We need to get to Dragon Haven."

"What is he thinking?" Kai scowled as they watched their friend disappear off the top of the rock formation to climb down. Everything was becoming smaller as the Guardian Dragon sped away. "He'll never survive."

"I cannot compute a scenario where he is victorious." Zane agreed. "Perhaps he has some plan we don't know of…"

Jay made an indigent sound. "This is _COLE_ …HE…."

Somewhere behind them, something exploded. They were far enough away that they couldn't really see what happened other than the explosion itself.

"THE BARON JUST _BLEW HIM UP_!" Jay was reaching inconsolable panic mode.

"That was not dragon fire…" Zane said, processing the output of the blast. "It was elemental…"

"What? What are you saying?" Kai said, straining to get a better look. It was hopeless; they were too far ahead now.

"That was an Elemental Overdrive." Wu explained quietly. The ninja turned to him, confused.

"What does that even _mean?_ " Kai asked, wishing not for the first time that their sensei could be less cryptic. "I've never even heard of that!"

"It is not in my database…" Zane admitted.

"You've seen one once before," the child answered simply, then looked at the nindroid. "When Zane used his ice element and defeated the Overlord."

It took a second to sink in.

"SO COLE'S _DEAD?"_ Jay screamed, but Wu shook his head.

"In a normal elemental master, an elemental overdrive will knock you out before you reach that point. Though not dead, you will be completely drained of all energy for a while. The reason Zane was obliterated was due to a mix of the damage from the golden power and the fact that he—as a nindroid—could override his shut-down protocol for intense damage."

"So Cole's probably passed out back there…" Kai translated. "We really should go back."

Wu looked down, obviously upset.

"I'm afraid that is not an option. We must go forward to Dragon Haven before it is too late."

 _Keyda_

Keyda screamed as a Wave of earth tore through the ranks of dragons, sending both beast and rider flying. The shockwave caused any nearby formations to crumble…including her own.

 _THIS IS THE SECOND TIME YOU'VE DONE THIS, IDIOT!_ She screamed in her mind as she tried to leap from the crumbling rock. As she landed a spooked Dragon ran right into her, sending her flying. She hit the ground and blacked out.

 _ **29**_

Nya's first thought was that they must have put the processor in wrong. And they had been so _careful!_ But after the initial shock wore off, she realized that Harumi's voice sounded kind of…digitally. The five rebels followed the sound into the computer room, where footage of Harumi was playing on the screen.

"…I KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR ME, LLOYD GARMADON…."

"Why is this playing?" Skylor asked as P.I.X.A.L began typing on a nearby panel.

"It seems that this footage is getting broadcast from Borg tower to all the various screens in Ninjago." she replied. "Since we are connected with the tower, it is playing here as well.

"What do you want, Harumi?" Lloyd muttered, glaring at the person on the screen. Her hands were held up as she made her announcement to the world.

"I don't know where you are hiding, but trust me…eventually I _will_ find out. But to save me the trouble, you are going to turn yourself in, _Lloyd_."

Nya scoffed. "Yeah, keep dreaming, Harumi." The Empress continued.

"If you will not, than you will have even more blood on your hands…you should be grateful." she continued, patronizingly . "I'm giving you the opportunity to play hero one last time. If you haven't handed yourself over by dawn tomorrow, than Emperor Garmadon will _destroy_ Jumaniki villiage. People could get very _very_ hurt."

Lloyd's hands clenched into fists. She was going to start hurting innocent people now? Just to get to him? Her monstrous nature sickened him. Nya noticed the look on his face.

"Lloyd, you _CAN'T."_ she said.

"She's going to hurt people…" he suddenly looked a little lost. "I'm powerless, _useless…_ Nya…maybe it would be best…"

Nya physically shook him.

"SO HELP ME, if you leave on your own again, I will save Harumi the trouble and kill you myself!"

"The fact that she is willing to do all of this to get to you shows that she believes that you still have the ability to stop her and Garmadon," Skylor pointed out.

Lloyd shook his head. "Or she just _really_ wants her revenge…"

"We can stop her... her and Garmadon. Lloyd, promise me that we will stop them together." Nya still had ahold of his shoulders.

"Yeah…yeah ok." he said distractedly. A plan was already forming in his mind.

 _Baron_

The Baron looked out over the mass destruction. The whole face of the earth had been torn up for an entire mile…such power.

"Baron…we found an outsider. And Keyda." Heavy Metal had appeared at his side. The Baron raised an eyebrow in interest and followed his second-in-command to the front of the destruction.

There was the one called Cole, passed out in the dirt. Whatever he had just accomplished and however he had just done it seemed to have wiped out all of his energy.

"Shall we regroup and head after the rest of the outsiders?"

The Baron shook his head. "No. They have escaped with the guardian, and where they go now we cannot follow." He turned his attention back to the boy in the dirt.

"Would you like me to dispose of him?"

The Baron looked a few yards away, where a certain Oni girl was also unconscious on the ground. His gaze rested on her for a while. Then he looked back out at the destruction, where riders and Dragons were picking themselves up and digging others from the wreckage.

"No." A smile spread across the Baron's face. "I think he could still prove useful."

 _Theater_

It took an hour to convince Ronin to wear stage make-up. As much as he didn't want to be recognized, the thought of letting Dareth near his face with that…evil kit sounded like a worse option. Lou came to inspect them when they were all finished.

"Ah, marvelous. You all look great. Now, Dareth…" The brown ninja looked up, his face marred by a large make-up scar in his Robin-Hood-esque outfit. "We can't have you forgetting your lines, like in the dress rehearsal. This is the _big leagues_ people!"

"For heaven's sake, Lou, it's just Jamanaki village." Ronin grunted. Lou looked over at the thief, wearing a villainous outfit of a hooded cape and half-face mask. He had refused to take off his armored eye, so Dareth was forced to get creative with the costuming.

"I don't even know what to say to you at this point. You've refused to even practice your lines!..."

"Who say's I haven't been practicing? Just because I'm not practicing with _you…"_ The thief couldn't stand to be bossed around by the stuffy performer. He decided that many parts of Cole's personality were beginning to make sense.

"Yes, well, for the sake of us all, I hope you have. Now, _Edna._ You look wonderful." The junkyard owner was dressed in a sparkly gown and tiara, and Dareth's make-up skills had somehow made her look years younger.

"I don't know, Lou…I still don't see why I couldn't just wear my overalls…"

"Nonsense, honey, you look like a gosh darn _royal_ in that get-up." Ed came up from behind her. She turned and blushed.

"Oh…you really think so? You not just saying that?"

"Well, I think you look great in just about anything…"

"Oh Ed…."

"Oh _Brother._ " Ronin said. "Can we just get on with this, please?"

Lou motioned for everyone to be silent.

"Now…I'd like to take this chance to say that it's been a pleasure to work with you all. Now I want you all to go out there and do your best!" He seemed to be getting emotional, and Ronin rolled his eyes.

"Hey Ed, need any help getting the stage set up?" He cut into Lou's speech, earning him a glare from the director.

"Nah, that's ok, Ronin. I rigged the thing to set up _itself."_ The inventor pulled a level, and the bus they were all sitting in started unfolding and buckling. Within a minute, the whole back of the bus had gone from a vehicle to a stage, complete with lights and a curtain.

"Well…that's one you don't see every day" Ronin said, scratching his head.

Dareth peered out of the curtains. "Hey, there are already people on their way! What do you know?"

"Guess our flyers made it out ok," Ed commented, holding one up.

 _Come and witness the finest acting in Ninjago! For this incredible first performance, you aren't even required to pay till after you've enjoyed the show! Bring your own seat to enjoy an amazing evening of action!_

"I still don't get why we aren't getting the money upfront." Ronin grouched. Lou tsked.

"When we become famous, we will have those sorts of luxuries. But in the beginning you must do what you can to draw in the crowd! Now, places, we only have 30 minutes before the show…

Ronin joined Dareth to look out the curtain at the growing crowd.

"Sheesh, do these people have nothing better to do?"

Dareth scratched his head. "Well…their entire country has been taken over by a hostile psychopath and the personification of evil. So maybe they just want a little cheering up."

Ronin decided that was a fair point.

Lou cleared his throat behind them. "Come now, gentleman, plaaaces!"

 _ **30**_

Keyda listened to the water drip minute after minute. Why was it that dungeons always had dripping water? To make those stuck in them go _mad?_

Her arms were above her, chained into wall cuffs. The stone she was sitting on was cold…she had lost feeling in her hands and lower back.

She looked over in the dim light at her cellmate, chained up similarly to her, except with more chains around his arms. The Idiot was still passed out cold….he hadn't woken up the whole time they had been down here. She tried to figure out how long it had been. Hours? Days? Or had it been longer? It was hard to tell when they only received the occasional meal and no visitors.

Who were these outsiders? That explosion of power…she had never seen anything like that. Yet it seemed to do a number on the Idiot himself…perhaps that is why they didn't do it more often. She found herself wishing he would wake up…if only so she could force him to answer all of her questions.

As if granting her wish, he started to stir. After a few minutes he opened his eyes.

" _Ach.._ my _head…"_ he winced, but as he tried to move his arms to cradle it he realized that his hands were cuffed above him. He blinked around the cell for a few moments, still looking a bit dazed as he tried to get his bearings.

"Keyda?"

She looked straight ahead. She had changed her mind; she did _not_ want to talk to him.

He continued to speak to her anyways. His voice sounded tired.

"I take it we're back at the fortress." He looked up at his cuffed arms. "I see that the Baron is being as hospitable as ever."

She glared at him. How dare he make jokes right now; they were in the Baron's cell, awaiting their deaths.

"I don't even know how to adequately tell you how _STUPID_ you are."

He sighed.

"I see you're feeling as well as usual."

"Why didn't you stay on your dragon?! What on earth could be earned by jumping off like an imbecile and taking out the Baron's entire army? Look where it got you!"

Cole chuckled to himself, which enraged Keyda all the more.

"Did I really take out his _whole_ army?"

She wished so badly that she could smack that smirk off his face.

"Don't you remember? You obliterated everything! Including the rock I was positioned on, _Idiot._ "

His smile disappeared.

"No…everything's kinda hazy actually. I don't remember much." He turned to look at her, an apology in his expression. "That explains how the Baron caught you…but why lock you up with me?"

She couldn't even talk to him. He was that senseless.

"Because I'm an accessory to your crime. And now we're both going to die for it."

"How long have we been here?" He seemed unfazed by her certainty of their imminent demise.

"I don't know. Could be hours…could be days."

He nodded, seeming to think.

"Then we just need to last a few more. My friends will be back for us."

"Are you JOKING? They left, Idiot. Your friends are _long gone_ …safe in the dragon haven. Face it…we're on our own and we are going to die."

He smiled a bit.

"I never thought I would meet someone more likely to jump to the worst possible conclusion than Jay."

He was so aggravating; more jokes? He continued.

"But you don't know my friends. I don't know what it's like for you Oni, but where I come from we don't leave each other behind."

"You left yourself behind," she pointed out. "Why should they risk their necks to save you? They've probably already forgotten about you."

For some reason he flinched a bit at that comment. She looked at him curiously as he turned and met her gaze with a determined expression.

"They wouldn't. You couldn't understand…we've been through so much. This won't be the first tight spot they get me out of. I'm telling you, _they'll be back._ "

Keyda found his optimism exasperating….but she also felt her anger leave her. What was the point in fighting? They were stuck here together whether they liked it or not. Her thoughts returned to all the questions she had formed while he had been unconscious.

"Could you…could you tell me more about where you come from?" her voice was quiet, and she refused to look at him.

Cole was confused by her sudden change of tone.

"Um…what do you want to know?"

She tried to shrug, but her current arm position made it difficult.

"What are the people like who live there? Do they all have powers like you guys?"

Cole smiled a bit.

"Well…most people are just your average… _people_ , I guess. They have families and jobs and just go about their lives. Most people don't have powers…but some of us do. I guess. It's kinda hard to explain."

"How did you get your powers?"

Cole's brows knit as he pondered the question. He knew that all elemental powers were tied back to the First Spinjitzu master and that his powers had something to do with Lloyd's…but that was all information about the elemental powers themselves. How _had_ he, personally, gotten his powers?

"I….I don't actually know how I got them. For people like Kai you get them from your parents, I guess. But Jay's parents are junkyard owners and Zane is a robot, so it's not like he can really inherit something _genetically…_ "

He noticed that she was looking at him blankly and laughed.

"I guess it's safe to say that one is just kind of a mystery."

They were silent for a few minute as she absorbed the news. This time it was his turn to ask a question.

"I've been meaning to ask…I mean, you don't have to answer…but what is life like here?"

"Awful."

He laughed again. He laughed so easily.

"Yeah…you know, I could see that. But I mean what was life like growing up? Do Oni have parents? Do _you…"_

 _"_ No."

"Oh."

There were a few moments of silence before she spoke again.

"Not anymore."

Cole waffled a bit on whether he should ask his next question.

"What…what happened?"

She didn't look at him. He shifted position as best as he could.

"Look…I'm sorry, I shouldn't…"

"We were just nobody's, really." She cut him off, sounding like she was beginning a story. He shut up.

"Some Oni are powerful and live in fortresses like this…and the Baron is the strongest of them all. He has the most connection to the Oni power of our past. But some Oni are just nobody's and they live in little villages across the realm. We don't have the kind of brotherhood…the kind of _love_ you people do…but we go about our lives. You know. Just living." She continued to stare at the ground.

He didn't answer. He was afraid to say anything that would cause her to stop.

"The Baron just showed up one day. His dragons destroyed my village and everyone one in it…"

" _Why_?" He couldn't help himself.

"He said he was purifying the Oni race. I was the only one who survived…I was just young at the time. He didn't kill me…I still don't know why. He dragged me back here and I spent countless years on the lowest rungs of the hierarchy of power."

"Like…a servant?"

"More like slave."

He went quiet again.

"That's why you wanted to be a Dragon Master?"

She looked up, but not at him.

"Anyone from any station can be a Dragon Master if they pass initiation. I had an extra hard time qualifying, though. It took months of begging…and he finally granted me permission. But it felt like the whole time he knew I would fail." She went quiet. "And I did."

Cole closed his eyes. Technically, that was his fault. He felt awful, but found that it was hard for him to wish that things had gone differently; If Keyda had passed her initiation she would have joined a crazy Dragon Army. And they would have never met.

She was done talking about herself. She finally turned to look at him, changing the subject.

"We seem to have a lot of time on our hands. Will you tell me more about what you and your friends did…back in your home?"

21


	8. Part 7

Nicki's Story

 _ **31**_

The Dragon landed with a thud.

" _This_ is the Dragon Haven?" Jay was incredulous. "It looks the same as everywhere else!"

The ninja dismounted and looked around at the landscape, which really did look exactly like everywhere else.

"My scanners aren't picking up anything unusual…" Zane reluctantly agreed.

"Great. So we left Cole back there for nothing." Kai simmered. He felt something swat his leg.

"Ow…WU, NOT IN THE MOOD." he said, turning, but it was actually the tail of the dragon that had whipped him.

"He says we have to follow him." Jay explained as Kai rubbed his thigh. Wu was up ahead, shaking his head like he was disappointed in Kai's accusation.

They followed the Dragon and came to the largest rock formation they had seen yet; It looked like a fortress in and of itself. The Dragon stopped suddenly and shot a blast of lightening at the side of it.

Rather than explode the rock, the lightening hit and dispersed, crackling in some complicated pattern across its surface. After it faded a door appeared, much like the one that had beckoned Jay in earlier.

The dragon entered first, and the ninja looked at each other, not sure. A roar echoed from deep inside.

"Alright, alright, we're coming." Jay said, rolling his eyes. They entered in and the doorway slammed closed. The only light came from the dragon up ahead and Zane.

"I wish we knew where we were going…" Kai muttered, and Jay looked around nervously. Having all this rock above him was making him feel claustrophobic.

"Hush, Ninja." Wu's voice sounded almost reverent. Soon the only sound was the footsteps and talons scraping on the rock floor. Eventually they saw light and Jay couldn't help but hope that they were headed back outside.

As they approached, however, they realized that it wasn't daylight, but the glow of an enormous dragon. It was the color of aged parchment…and looked just as old and fragile.

 _I know what it is you seek._

All the ninja except Wu and Jay seemed surprised to hear the dragon speak.

"That's how my dragon talks to me!" he started, but a look from Wu cut him off.

 _You have come at a perilous time. The powers of the Oni are growing stronger and I fear that it won't be long before they unlock the secrets from their past._

The ninja made eye contact. That didn't sound good.

 _Time is not in your favor. The dragon of Fire is not far from here. The others may not be as easy to find._

Jay wished he could say something sarcastic, but Wu was glaring at him like he was on to him.

 _Fire Master...proceed quickly and with caution._

Another door opened up to the right of the group. Kai cleared his throat, preparing himself to go through it. He figured it wouldn't be so bad…go in…say he'll pay the price…blah blah blah. He went to enter the tunnel.

 _You may need help_

Kai paused and turned around.

 _Take the Master of Ice with you._

"What? Why does he get to take a buddy?" Jay couldn't help himself.

Kai looked at Zane, who nodded once as they ran down the tunnel.

Jay watched them go and groaned.

"And what, I just get to stay here and babysit Wu?" He looked down at his sensei, who raised an eyebrow.

"I think it is actually _me_ who is doing the babysitting."

 _Theater_

Lou literally had tears in his eyes as the three performers bowed before the raving crowd. He had desired greatness…but who could have expected that?

Sure, Dareth made up a line here and there, and Edna couldn't help but shake her head at certain scenes…but Ronin. Great Scott, that man could _ACT._

Dareth mentioned as much to the thief as they did their bows. "Where did you learn to act like that? If I had known, I would have had you in show business for years."

"Shut up, Dareth."

"I'm serious, your performance was _beautiful."_

"Great. Now are we getting paid?"

But suddenly a new sound came up over the cheering audience; motorcycle engines.

Ronin cursed as SoG poured into the clearing, surrounding the residents of Jumanaki village.

"I _knew_ this would never work!"

The large purple landmass called Killow addressed the crowd.

"So sorry to interrupt your revelries, but I'm afraid that you've just become the collateral damage in our Empress's wise plan." here he pointed at one of the screens in the village, and on cue a video of Harumi began playing.

The theater troop had retreated back behind the curtain as they listened to Harumi's crazed voice from the video.

"I guess I can forget about that paycheck," Ronin said, annoyed.

"At least it doesn't seem like they're here for us," Lou added hopefully, but Ronin was busy listening to the video. He cursed again.

"She's using the villagers as blackmail to get to Lloyd. Why am I not surprised?"

"We have to do something!" Dareth said, pounding a fist in his hand.

"But what can we do? There's too many of them…we go out there and not only will our covers be blown but we'll get our backsides handed to us." the thief pointed out angrily.

"Then I guess all we can do now is wait and see…" Lou said. He looked out of the curtain at the video.

"We have till dawn."

 _Keyda_

Keyda shook her head in annoyance.

"None of that makes any sense…a floating Island? Evil…snakes? And you were a ghost…" She looked at him with sudden suspicion. "Are you making all of this up?"

He laughed once again, shaking his head.

"I swear I'm not! Though….I could probably be doing a better job at explaining it."

"Yeah…maybe try talking like a _sane_ person."

He looked over at her and smiled, but something in his expression made her feel uncomfortable.

"Stop!"

"What?" he responded, baffled. "What did I do now?"

"You're so impossible." Once again, she refused to look at him.

"Oh yeah? Is _that_ why you saved me after I got flung off the dragon…"

"Don't read into that too much, Idiot. I only did that because I wanted the pleasure of killing you _myself…"_

"Oh, of course." he said, but his infernal smile was still there. "And why you jumped off the guardian dragon…I take it that wasn't to give the rest of us a chance?"

She snorted. "You never had any chance. I just wanted to save myself from joining your same demise. Which," she turned to glare at him. "I would have, had you not blown up my rock formation, _once again."_

He shook his head.

"Yeah, bad habit of mine…" This time she couldn't help but join in on his laughter.

"I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourselves."

The door had opened, though the Baron's silhouette blocked out much of the light from the hallway. Their laughter immediately evaporated.

The Baron breezed into the cell like it was a throne room, rather than a dungeon.

"I trust you find your accommodations…comfortable."

Cole glared at him.

"Ah yeah…nothing better than being surrounded by rock and good company."

The Baron looked amused.

"I'm sure. I must say, Cole…you really had me going there. I was beginning to think you were just the Oaf of your group. I couldn't quite figure out why they kept you around."

"Well, don't tell anybody, but it's actually because of my _charming_ personality."

"Quite." The Baron fiddled with a cuff-link as he continued. "Though your display back in the gorge…that was impressive in its own right. What I could do with such power…"

"Keep dreaming."

The Baron shook his head, still smiling.

"I have to admire your spunk, boy. Nobody with half a brain would ever dare speak to me the way you do."

"Well…I have been told I'm pretty stupid."

The Baron looked at the staff in his hand for a moment, and then back at Cole.

"But I'm afraid I would like to harness that power for myself…"

His tone made Cole's blood run cold, but he was defiant to a fault.

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

The Baron pointed his staff at the Master of earth.

"Why…by controlling _you_ of course." And with that red power leapt from the staff and blasted into Cole.

 _ **32**_

Kai and Zane crept down the tunnel, not exactly sure what they would find.

"Why do you think he'd want you to come with me?" Kai asked, trying not to feel annoyed. Jay had gotten his dragon without help…surely he could too.

"Perhaps it's…"

 _MASTER OF FIRE_

Kai spun around.

"WOAH, why is he yelling?"

 _I KNOW WHAT YOU SEEK._

"Ok, that's _really_ intense…." Kai complained. Zane looked around, confused.

"Whatever it is you're hearing, Kai, I can't…"

"Shhhh!" Kai cut him off. He looked down another tunnel. "It's coming from this direction! Let's go!" He began charging down the hallway, leaving a baffled Zane behind.

"Kai… _Kai!"_

The red ninja burst into a cavern that was alive with flames with Zane not far behind him. But there was no dragon in the middle of the cavern.

"Where…"

 _HAVE YOU COME TO FIGHT?_

"Oh, are we fighting now? " Kai lit his hands up, looking around. "Why don't you show yourself then?"

Zane was the one who looked up.

"Kai, Look out!" he commanded, before blasting ice to combat the fire flash headed towards his friend.

Kai yelled out and dodged out of the way. He looked up and saw his elemental dragon on the ceiling, mouth open.

"Why do you want to fight?"

 _BECAUSE_ YOU _WANT TO FIGHT!_

 _"_ I don't want to fight!" Kai said jumping out of the way from another fire blast. "I want to get that harness thing. You're supposed to ask me if I am willing to pay a price!"

Another Ice blast from Zane was the only thing that kept Kai from becoming a cinder.

 _DO NOT ASSUME TO KNOW WHAT I DO_

Kai kept dodging, firing a few blasts of fire himself. What the heck was this about? Jay didn't have to go through _any_ of this!

 _DO YOU WANT TO FIGHT, OR DO YOU WANT THE HARNESS?_

"I WANT THE HARNESS!"

 _PROVE IT._

"What is with this guy? He was never this explosive when he was my elemental dragon," Kai muttered. Another blast of fire made him roll away from his boulder shield; Zane covered him as he escaped behind a larger one. "Besides how exactly do I _prove_ something like…" He trailed off as it hit him. He sighed in annoyance; if he was wrong, he was toast.

He got out from behind the boulder he was hiding behind.

"Stand down, Zane." He called. The nindroid looked puzzled but did so.

Kai stepped into the circle in the middle of the room, and looked up at the Dragon.

"Ok. I want the harness. I'm done fighting." The Dragon opened his mouth in return, as if to blast him with another torrent of fire. Kai closed his eyes and waited for the attack. After a few moments of nothing, he opened them. The dragon was suddenly right in front of him, looking at him with a bemused expression.

 _Very good Master of Fire. Not all victories are gained through fighting, just as Fire doesn't always need to be used for destruction. Fire can be highly beneficial…but only when it is controlled. The question still remains, however: are you willing to pay the price?_

"Ah….there it is." Kai muttered.

 _To be granted the harness, you must be…_

"For goodness sakes, _YES_ …I'm willing to pay the price!"

A flash blinded him and Zane, and they both covered their eyes with their arms. When they looked back, the flaming dragon was wearing a harness, and the pull bar was golden.

Kai fist bumped the air. "Heck Yeah!"

Zane looked a little less triumphant.

"The dragon asked you about a price as well?"

"…Yeah...so?"

"I thought perhaps that was simply Jay's puzzle to solve…but it appears that there is more to this." The nindroid looked like he didn't like where the data was pointing. Kai slapped him on the back.

"Slow down, metal man. One thing at a time. For now, can't we just revel in the fact that for once I wasn't the last to accomplish something?"

 _LLoyd_

"HARUMI!" Lloyd's yelling echoed throughout the massive room he entered. There, in the middle of Borg tower, Harumi had made herself a throne room.

"Oh Lloyd…you just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Harumi's voice basically cooed throughout the room. He spun around, trying to locate her.

"Call of your attack on Jamanaki…I came, like you wanted."

"I don't know…maybe I'll have Garmadon kill them all anyways. They can die thinking you failed them."

Lloyd burned with anger.

"Such pointless waste of life to make a point…why lay waste to a perfectly good village who could support you?" he said, trying to keep his fury in check. A blur caught in his peripheries and he turned a bit too late.

She kicked him against a wall right as a cage dropped from the ceiling.

"Oh…how original." Lloyd muttered, as he saw that he was trapped once again. He swore that he had spent at least a third of his life in a cage.

"Hmm…as fun as it would be to have _more_ people hate you…I suppose it would be a waste of resources." She dialed into a borg watch on her wrist.

"Killow, we got him. Yeah…I know, stupid as always. Walked right in all alone," she looked at Lloyd with evil mirth. "Nya must be going _insane_ with worry just about now…"

Lloyd pounded the bars of his cage.

"Ok, you got me, Harumi. You can have your little revenge now. But you leave my friends _out of this."_

Harumi hung up her call and just shook her head at him, patronizingly.

"Oh, but Lloyd…your little friends are _part_ of the revenge."

 _ **33**_

Kai insisted on riding his dragon out of the tunnels. They burst into the cavern, nearly scaring Jay to death.

"GEEZ!"

"Boo-yah! Check out this bad boy!" Kai held up the golden pull-bar. Jay and Wu just shook their heads.

"Did he ask you about a price?" Jay asked, suddenly remembering.

"Uh…yeah….but just like you said, not feeling any different."

"Hmm…weird. But that means that there are only two more dragons left to find!" Jay said. "Ok, Mr. Ancient Dragon, where's the Ice Dragon at?

The Elder Dragon looked down with Jay with an expression that had more than a hint of disgust.

 _The location of the other two dragons is unknown to me. You must seek them out yourself._

"Oh, well isn't that _typical?!"_

"It is alright, Jay. I am sure that we will be able to locate them." Zane comforted.

"Yeah…but it's gonna be hard to find the Earth Dragon without Cole." Kai pointed out. "It's probably time to go spring him out."

"If the Baron even left him alive…" Jay muttered, but Kai shook his head.

"You have _got_ to stop thinking like that, Jay!"

"Master." Zane was looking down at Wu. "I fear it is too dangerous for you to accompany us. The Baron is onto who you are…I think it would be best…"

"…If I stayed here." Wu looked incredibly unhappy about the idea. He finally sighed.

"I lack many of my former skills, including spinjitzu. I want to free Cole as much as the rest of you, but I have to go with Zane on this one. I'd be more of a hindrance than a help."

"That is not what I…" Zane tried to correct him, but Wu held up a hand.

"This is no time for arguing. I will do what research I can towards locating the Ice Dragon. You must get back and save Cole. I am afraid he is in the belly of the beast…"

 _Keyda_

Keyda closed her eyes in an attempt to block out the screams. It proved to be a mistake… Cole's tortured yells immediately brought forth unbidden flashes of memories; frantic people, burning buildings, screams…

Her eyes flew open. She had never seen the Baron's Enrager used on anything other than a dragon, but as she watched Cole thrash against his chains she realized that it must be incredibly painful. She was so busy watching him that she didn't realize that the Baron's eyes had been on _her_ the entire time.

The Baron pulled back his staff, and the Enrager stopped. Cole went limp, shaking and breathing hard; he seemed on the verge of blacking out again. Yet as Keyda looked over, she noticed that his eyes were not red.

The Baron must have noticed as well. "How intriguing…" He lifted the staff again, as if to go for a second round.

"No…" Keyda had breathed the word without even thinking, but regretted it immediately as the Baron turned to her.

"Ah…Keyda, I had almost forgotten about you. I must say, after everything I've done for you over the years, your betrayal has been most disappointing. I had always hoped I'd find a way of making you…useful." He was looming over her now, and she watched in horror as he calmly pulled out a sword.

"No…please…"

"Ah…but what kind of leader would I be if I let the guilty go unpunished?" He held the sword up.

"Then let her go." Cole's voice was haggard, but it caused the Baron to pause. He looked over at the outsider, amused. Cole turned and met his stare.

"Everything you think she's done wrong has been my fault. If a good leader is one who punishes the guilty, then he's also someone who wouldn't punish the innocent. So what kind of leader are you…really?" The Baron's face remained expressionless, and without even looking back at Keyda his sword lashed towards her…

…breaking through her cuffs. Her arms dropped like stones and she shook with fear and adrenaline. Cole let out the breath he was holding.

"Keyda." The Baron was addressing her again, and she looked up at him, still terrified. "You are returned to your previous status…where you will _remain_ until the end of your days. But remember… one step out of line is all it will take…"

"Yes, Baron. Thank you Baron." She bowed low.

"Now leave."

She struggled to stand; spending days in the same position on the cold stone made movement difficult. She finally got to her feet and headed to the cell door.

"Unless…" The Baron began talking, and Keyda froze. He didn't continue until she had turned to face him. "Unless you would like to stay, and witness the fate of this outsider… that is, if you even care what happens to him?" He raised one eyebrow; this was a test and she knew it.

"Of course not." She tried not to notice Cole's eyes drop to the ground.

"Then go."

She turned and rushed out into the hall, into freedom. But she knew it still wasn't true freedom… she was only back to the misery that she had started in. The Baron's voice followed her down the hall, but he wasn't talking to her.

"Now…shall we get on with punishing the guilty?"

She covered her ears and fled as the screams started again.

 _P.I.X.A.L_

P.I.X.A.L moved through the hallway towards what she _hoped_ was the Oni mask containment room. She was up all night narrowing it down, and she had decided that this room would make the most logical sense to hold the Oni Masks. The information pulled from the Borg Tower files seemed to confirm her prediction.

"Ok…I think Lloyd just entered the throne room. We don't have much time." Nya's voice came through her processor.

"Right…I'm headed to the containment room now." She hacked into the security panel by the door and it finally slid open. A few more codes and she was 98% sure that she had taken down any security protocols in the room as well.

She walked into the room, and saw the three masks encased in what she analyzed to be clearstone. It was hard to see much else; the room was incredibly dimly lit.

"I'm in. They _are_ here." she said into her communicator, but something seemed off. This seemed too easy…

The door slammed shut behind her and she whipped out her bow. She heard her communicator crackle; something was interfering with it.

"Isn't this interesting. " She stiffened at Mr. E's calculating voice. She spun at it and shot the arrow, but there was nothing there.

"It does feel a bit like a reprise, however." His voice was coming from a different point in the room. P.I.X.A.L forced herself not to panic.

"Show yourself…I'm not afraid to fight you."

"Ah…so brave…but are you prepared to fight _with_ me?"

She backed up against one of the clearstone cases, eliminating the chance that he would sneak up behind her. She continued to scan the room, trying to locate him.

"We must work quickly…your friends are already on their way."

"We will defeat you…" she said, forcing her voice to be even.

Something landed in front of her, and she recognized it too late.

"NO!" She screamed, as the small robotic spider launched at her face.

 _ **34**_

With two dragons to share the load of three ninja, the return trip went much faster.

"Ok…what's our game plan for when we get there?" Kai called from his dragon. Jay and Zane looked over from the other.

"Um…find Cole, get the heck out of there, find the last two dragons, get the dragon master, kick some Oni butt, and get home." Jay counted off on his fingers. "Did I miss anything?"

"Yeah…the actual _plan_ part!"

"Cole will most likely be being held in the dungeons." Zane interjected.

"Yeah, but where are the dungeons? I mean, it's a pretty big fortress and we were locked in a cozy hotel room last we were here." Kai pointed out.

"Well, that's why we're ninja! We literally pros at sneaking and finding!" Jay snapped back. Deep down he still wasn't even sure if Cole was still alive…but Kai's negative attitude had started to rival his own and he found that incredibly irritating.

"Or we can just _blast_ through the fortress with these two powerful guardian dragons!" Kai said.

 _We will not be joining you at the fortress._

The dragons spoke in unison, so only Zane was out of the conversation.

" _What_?"

"Why Not?"

Kai and Jay spoke at almost the same time as well.

"What are they saying?" Zane asked, annoyed that he had no connection to the silent dialogue.

 _For a Guardian Dragon to lay siege to the Fortress of the Oni is to usher in the final battle. We cannot risk starting the battle prematurely. We will take you to a certain point and wait for you there._

"Are you kidding me?" Jay asked. This kept getting better and better.

"How far is 'a certain point?' Kai wanted to know. Suddenly both dragons dove from the sky, nearly sending Zane flying off the back. They landed with a thud.

 _About this far._

"You don't say." Kai grumbled as they all dismounted. Zane looked at his friends, irritated.

"Now will someone please fill me in?"

"The dragons can't go all the way to the fortress because it will start off some battle and that would be bad." Jay said, feeling as annoyed as Kai. What was the point of having powerful dragons if all they did was talk cryptically, complain, and abandon you during the fights?

"So I guess we're on foot." Kai said. Zane took a look at their surroundings.

"By my calculations, the Fortress should be just over that ridge." he said, pointing. Jay just shook his head in amazement.

"We are literally in a place that looks like _every other place in this stinking realm!_ How can you be so sure?!"

Zane winked at him. "Because I'm a _nindroid._ "

" _No duh_ …"

"Guys, come on. The faster we get there the faster we can get Cole out." Kai interrupted. They set off.

 _Keyda_

Keyda kept running, not looking back at the fortress. She knew that this would probably fall under the Baron's description of stepping out of line, but she had to get away…from _all_ of it.

Suddenly, she saw figures in the distance, picking their way towards her. Colorful figures.

"They…came back." She was astounded. She had been sure that they would have stayed in the safety of the Dragon Haven, leaving the Idiot to his fate. Though they did appear to be dragonless now…maybe not even the dragons could handle their stupidity. Suddenly, one of them pointed at her and she realized she had been spotted. She could run…but who knew what tricks these outsiders had up their sleeves?

She waited for them to catch up, and tried to look defiant.

"Keyda? What the heck are you doing here?" The blue one asked. She didn't respond.

"Have you just been waiting here this whole time?"

"NO!" she snapped. Didn't any of them know how to _think?_ "I've only just escaped, you imbecile."

"Escaped?" It was the red one who was talking now. He was eyeing her suspiciously, which angered her; he had no idea what she had just been through. "Wonder how you managed to pull that off….where's Cole?"

She looked away. She didn't want to talk about that Idiot.

"I see you've lost your dragon…he finally get sick of you never shutting up?" she turned back to the blue one.

"The dragons have not left us…but we cannot go to the fortress with them." It was the metal man who spoke up… Zane.

The spark of hope from before flashed in her chest once again, though she tried to smother it. She had noticed that he had said _dragons…_ they had found more of the guardians. They were so close…

"We don't need them to save Cole." Kai snapped, still looking at her with distrust. "And we don't need you either. C'mon, guys." He went to leave.

"But I could take you right to him."

 _What was she saying?_ She had just escaped the Baron's wrath…why on earth would she stick her neck out again? Especially for these colorful buffoons? But deep down…the spark of hope had continued to burn. What was the point of surviving if nothing changed?

"No thanks." the red one was not backing down. Zane put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kai…"

"I know exactly where he is…I was in there _with him._ " she tried. Why was he being so stubborn?

"Yeah, and now you're out here and he's not…why does that make me not want to trust you?"

"Kai's got a point…" the blue one added.

She glared at the lot of them. She was willing to put her life on the line and they didn't even want her help?

"FINE. Have fun getting killed." she turned to go. Zane stopped her, and then looked at his companions.

"Based on my data…we have no reason not to trust her."

"She's and _ONI,_ Zane! She is literally the embodiment of destruction….that's reason enough!"

Zane was not backing down either.

"We are running out of time. We have to get Cole and still track down two more dragons. We have to get home, Kai…who knows what's happening…"

"FINE. Fine….but I'm watching you." The red one glared at her, and she rolled her eyes. They followed her down to the fortress and into the scum entrance; the only entrance she had been allowed to use for years. She had spent her whole life in this fortress, and the Baron had been targeting her in one way or another that entire time. She had learned quickly how to travel out of sight.

None of them spoke as they went from hallway to hallway, taking the occasional secret passageway she had discovered over the years. They finally reached the dungeons. She stopped them on the stairs.

"Wait here." She had to make sure the Baron was gone. It occurred to her suddenly that the Baron could have turned the Idiot with his Enrager, but she forced that thought away. It hadn't worked before…she didn't know why, but the Enrager didn't work on him. She had to stick with that.

She crept to the cell and peered in. In the dim light she could make out a figure, still shackled. He appeared to be unconscious. She looked around, but there was no sign of the Baron. She turned to the others and motioned them forward.

"We'll have to find the key…" she started, but the hot head just shot a blast of fire and the lock. Within a minute, the door was unlocked. She blinked in surprise and then heaved the door open, ushering them all inside.

"You go free him. I'll stand watch." she said.

"No way," the red one glared at her, but she glared right back.

" _I_ don't have any way of getting him out of chains!" she hissed.

"Her keeping watch does seem to be a logical course of action," Zane whispered as he and the blue one entered the cell. Kai sighed in irritation and followed his friends.

"Cole! Buddy, it's us!" The blue one called softly as the three rushed to the figure. Suddenly, Keyda caught sight of something glinting on the unconscious man…

"Wait!" she tried urgently, but it was too late. A hand clamped around her mouth and yanked her backwards; one of the Baron's Dragon Masters. The Baron glided by her, looking at her with that ever-present face of amusement.

"I just knew you would be useful."

In the cell the ninja had reached the figure only to find that it wasn't Cole at all, but Heavy Metal, chuckling as he lowered his arms and reached for his sword.

Kai whirled to the door, but Keyda was gone, replaced by the Baron.

 _"YOU SET US UP!"_ He screamed, hoping she wasn't too far away…because once he blasted through the baron he was coming after her. He lit both hands and faced the Baron while Jay and Zane faced Heavy Metal, prepared to attack.

"Such rage…." the Baron noted coolly. "You know, I can work with that." He lifted his staff.

 _ **35**_

Killow hung up the call with a laugh.

"Looks like today is your lucky day, peasants! The Green Ninja has turned himself in and the Empress is having mercy upon your souls."

The crowd of villagers let out a sigh of relief, while those in the stage-turned-bus felt more alarmed than anything.

"Did he just say that Lloyd turned himself in?" Dareth gasped. He couldn't believe that any ninja would give up like that.

"Sounds like it…" Ronin answered.

"Hmmm…and that Garamdon fellow didn't even show up!" Ed pointed out. Ronin's brow furrowed.

"Come to think of it…nobody's seen anything of Garmadon for a while. He wasn't at the attack on the beach either…"

A pounding sounded from the side of the tour bus. They all looked at each other in shock. Edna wasn't one to ignore someone knocking, however.

"Hello?" she asked, poking her head out of the door. Killow towered over her.

" _Hello._ " He began talking in a demeaning way. "We've been asking the people around here how they liked your show…and it seems you were quite a hit. Things have been pretty dull back at Garmadon Tower lately and we've just won a large victory. We could do with some celebrating…and I think your _show_ would be just the thing…" Some of the SoG members chuckled and cheered in response.

"Oh…well…um…" She turned to the rest of the crew, who were shaking their heads no.

"I'm sorry, did that sound like a proposal? I should have been clearer about the fact that it's an _order._ We'll even escort you there ourselves." he finished with a laugh.

Ed came up and put and arm around his wife as she closed the door.

"Well…you know what we always say in this family; never argue with a man who's naval is that close to your face."

"Aw man…are they on to us or do they really just want a show?" Dareth asked.

Ronin just shook his head as Ed started driving the bus forward.

"Doesn't really matter at this point…all it will take is Harumi recognizing one of us from the beach…"

"We cannot give in to despair, Gentleman." Lou was sweating, but he looked determined as he faced the rest of his team.

"The show must go on."

 _Keyda_

Keyda screamed as she launched herself at the door once again, but it wouldn't move. She was in another cell…but they hadn't even bothered to chain her up. They just tossed her in and locked the door.

Suddenly, the small armored window flipped open. The Baron's belittling face peered in.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to deal with you at the moment…" His voice was so tranquil. He terrified and disgusted her at the same time. "I have more urgent business to attend to."

" _Where is he?"_ She spat. She had cowered beneath the Baron for long enough…and she was as good as dead anyways. She was done being docile.

"Who?"

" _YOU KNOW_ who!"

The Baron chuckled.

"Oh yes…I suppose I do. Don't expect to be seeing him again, dear Keyda."

Something twisted within her.

"What are you going to do?" She almost whispered.

He replied in a tone so nonchalant, he might as well have been talking about the weather.

"I'm going to destroy him, of course. Just like I destroyed your village." He left the window open as he walked down the hall.

" _WHY?!"_ She screamed after him, face pressed up against the bars as she watched him go.

He didn't even bother turning as he answered.

"Because I'm an Oni, Keyda. And that's what Oni do."

 _Nya_

Nya and Skylor reached the door, but they found it locked tight.

"This should have been opened…" Nya had no sooner said it than the doors slid open. She and the redhead made eye-contact. Something was up.

"The masks are over there..." Skylor said, heading for them. Nya looked around the dimly lit room.

"Yeah…but where's Pix?"

Behind them the door slammed shut.

"That is not a good sign." Skylor said, crossbow at the ready. She and Nya went back to back, the Water Ninja pulling out her spear.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

"Just a couple of friends."

Mr. E's voice echoed around the room. Suddenly, Skylor caught sight of his glowing eyes and fired a shot, but he dodged it.

"Just you? I'd think they would have kept the masks more heavily guarded." Skylor said as he approached. He tilted his head, as if considering her comment.

"By my calculations, they are guarded well enough from the two of you."

With that, someone came out of the shadow's on Nya's side.

"PIX! Thank goo.."

Nya's comment trailed off as she saw the expression on P.I.X.A.L'S face.

"Pix?"

The android launched into an attack and Nya was barely able to block it. Her friend had gotten a sword from who knows where and seemed bent on destroying her.

"PIX, NO, _FIGHT IT!"_

The turn of events distracted Skylor, which proved almost fatal as Mr. E attacked. She dodged just in time and soon they both girls were embroiled in a hard battle.

"What did you do to her?" Skylor accused, but Mr. E just gave a creepy chuckle.

"I _Improved_ her."

Skylor dodged another blow and kicked out, but her foot hit solid metal and she winced in pain.

Meanwhile Nya was using the clearstone on pedestals as an obstacle to keep between her and PIX while she tried to talk some sense into her.

"Pix…this isn't _you…._ you can fight this!"

The robot shot an arrow, narrowly missing Nya. It bounced off the clearstone case behind her.

"YOU decide who you want to be!"

P.I.X.A.L pushed the pedestal out of the way, the clearstone box crashing to the ground. It stayed in tact, of course.

Nya blocked another attack and kicked her friend back. P.I.X.A.L seemed unaffected and sprung at Nya, knocking her back into the other pedestal while her spear went flying. P.I.X.A.L aimed an arrow at Nya's heart.

"P.I.X.A.L… _NO!"_ Skylor screamed, but Mr. E grabbed her and flung her away.

"Do it!" he said, focusing in on P.I.X.A.L. "Destroy your enemy!"

P.I.X.A.L pulled the string back and Nya closed her eyes, waiting.

With one smooth motion, P.I.X.A.L turned and fired at Mr. E. The arrow slammed into his neck, immediately shorting out his mental processor. He sparked a couple times before dropping to the ground.

"That should hold him for a bit," P.I.X.A.L commented, holding out her hand to help Nya up.

"Whoo, glad to see that the antivirus program was a success." Nya said with a smile. Skylor came over to join them, rubbing her shoulder ruefully.

"I think that creep knocked my arm out of socket…"

"You were right about the trap, Nya." P.I.X.A.L commented, and the Water Ninja waved her off.

"Eh…Harumi's evil and all, but she's getting a little predictable." She pulled out her communicator. "Hey Misako, we're ready for you to come pick up the masks now."

"Feels good to be part of a real team again." Skylor commented with a smile.

"Well, the battle's not over yet, girls." Nya reminded them. "We still have one _damsel in distress_ to save."

20


	9. Part 8

Nicki's Story

 _Authors Note_

 _Prepare yourself._

 _ **3 6**_

Cole was tired of waking up in strange places. Wherever he was now, it was too dark to see. He must have blacked out again during…whatever the Baron had been doing to him. He assumed it was the Enrager the Baron had mentioned in his office, but it hadn't even made Cole feel angry. It had just _hurt._

He could hear something now…cheers. Or was it boos? He groaned as he realized where he was.

"The Arena…" he muttered. Now what? He'd have to fight the Baron? Or some enraged dragon? He struggled to his feet….he was no shape for fighting. He never understood why villains made such a show of everything instead of just killing you outright.

The heavy doors in front of him opened and he blinked in the sudden blinding light. A few dragon masters came in with spears, forcing him out into the arena. He looked around; it seemed all the dragon masters, slaves, and everyone in between had come to watch him get killed. How decent of them.

"Ah…Cole, you're just in time for the main event." The Baron called down through the broken window; he was seated in his office, looking as if he was in a private box waiting for an opera to start.

"You don't want to fight me yourself?" Cole challenged, though his yell wasn't quite as loud as he would have liked. "What are you gonna send at me? One of your enraged beasts?!"

The Baron chuckled.

"Yes…something like that." he waved his hands and the doors on the opposite side of the arena opened. Three figures walked out, each in a different color. The only thing they had in common were their glowing red eyes.

 _Keyda_

Keyda pounded the door again, but it was with less effort. She had lost. Any minute now the Baron was going to come back and kill her…

Two guards walked by, headed for the arena.

"So…he pit the three colorful guys against the black one? He's in bad shape; I don't feel like it'll be much of a fight…"

"Yeah, which is why we have to get there _now_ if we want to see any of it!"

They quickly disappeared down the hall and Keyda put two and two together. The Baron was going to destroy the Idiot…using his friends.

 _Cole_

Cole's heart practically stopped beating.

"Oh…you have _got_ to be joking…this has got to be some kind of messed up dream…"

"Generals!" the Baron was addressing the enraged ninja. "Destroy him!"

Cole watched them run at him for a few seconds before his brain reminded him that he needed to _MOVE._ When did they get here? How had the Baron gotten to them? Where was Wu? Why couldn't anything ever make any _sense?"_

 _"GUYS! IT'S ME!"_ he tried, but Jay nearly got him with a lightening blast and it looked like Kai was powering up. How was he going to snap them out of this?

He dodged again as Zane nearly froze him in place. Their faces were contorted in rage…but also frozen. Like red-eyed, evil puppets. He shuddered.

"Ok… I get it…" he said, backing away as the three continued to come closer. "This is you guys getting back at me for the whole Hypnobrai incident all those years ago…and here I thought we had moved past this."

He slammed his fists into the ground, but the wall that came up was feeble. The Oni all laughed and jeered from the stands. He sighed exasperatedly; it seemed his powers were still weak.

Jay and Kai blasted through the wall he made, and Cole picked up some rocks and started throwing. What was he going to do? He couldn't hurt them…but at the same time they obviously had no qualms about hurting him.

The rocks were basically ineffective. Jay spinjitzued towards him, and Cole raised his arms for hand-to-hand combat. He knew he didn't have the strength to do his own spinjitzu right now.

 _"I always said you were the least valuable ninja."_ Jay's voice was deeper and echoey…to be honest it sounded straight-up demonic. Cole blocked his punches while trying to also keep track of his other two enraged friends.

"Shut up, Jay," it was basically a knee-jerk response; he was used to this kind of banter at least.

" _Always trying to be the hero, eh Cole? Just like in Yang's temple… but you leave your team behind. You have always let this team down."_

"I'm gonna let that slide, because I know you aren't feeling like yourself right now." Cole replied, blocking another attack. Jay wasn't even going full force but he was struggling to keep up with him.

 _"Where's your girlfriend?"_ Jay was able to land a kick and Cole stumbled backwards. " _She decide she wasn't interested after all? Funny…that's just what Nya decided when you tried to steal her from me. Wonder what's wrong with you?"_

Cole grunted, wishing that he hadn't brought up Keyda; he didn't want to think about her right now. She appeared, unbidden, in his mind's eye—staring at him with those piercing orange eyes while saying something along the lines of "Well, Idiot…still think your friends are here to rescue you?"

He shook his head, trying to clear it. He really didn't have time for this…wondering if she was ok…wondering if she was actually here, watching all of this from somewhere in the jeering crowd….wondering if he would ever get the chance to make her laugh again…

He was clipped by Kai's flames. He rolled behind a nearby boulder. _Get it together, Cole!_

"You should really stop talking, Jay…or I'm going to have a hard time laughing about this later…"

" _There will not be a later…you cannot escape this."_ It was Zane speaking now as he appeared on one side of the boulder. Cole barely scrambled out of the way of the ice blast.

"Oh not you too, Zane. C'mon…you're a nindroid; you can override this." Cole said, slowly regaining his footing as he tried to talk sense into his friend.

" _But why would I want to?"_ Zane moved in fast, grabbing Cole's arm in a vice-like grip. Face to face, Cole decided that his friend looked extremely creepy with his normal blue eyes replaced with burning crimson.

" _You are weak…weaker than normal. It will not be long before we are finally rid of you."_

He used his grip on Cole's arm to flip him, slamming him into the ground. Cole exhaled painfully, and he blocked Zane as the nindroid moved in to attack him while he was down. Zane pushed down hard, trying to crush him.

"This isn't you, Zane. This is the Baron…you've…got…to….fight him." Cole finally managed to summon a flash of his earth punch, and threw Zane back. The effort left him dizzy as he struggled to his feet.

Suddenly one of Jay's lightening attacks landed a direct shot on his side. He yelled as he flew across the arena, landing hard. He was in bad shape…and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

 _Keyda_

Keyda faced the door once more, filled with a renewed determination. The Baron was going to kill them all…for no reason other than he wanted to. He played with people as if they were chess pieces in an effort to claim more power.

She thought of the Idiot. Of course the Baron wouldn't just kill the boy himself. Her fists clenched as she realized that the Baron had purposely found the most excruciating way to end him; destroyed by those he considered brothers and had trusted to save him. The guards were right; he was weak and would be no match for all three of them-especially not in an enraged state. In her anger, she didn't notice the purple glow coming from her fists as she charged the door again. This time when she hit, the door exploded from its hinges. She flew threw, shocked as she hit the cold stone floor. She shook herself…she had no idea what had just happened but she didn't have time to figure it out.

 _Harumi_

"Poor Lloyd, alone once again. We really should do something about that hero mentality…its proving dangerous for your health."

"Quit stalling, Harumi. You gonna take your revenge or not?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"It will be much more satisfying when we're alone."

Lloyd looked around the room.

"Ah, yes, because there's far too much of a crowd in here…"

"Silence! Do you think I'm a fool?"

"You probably _don't_ want me to answer that one."

She ignored him.

"I know your friends are in the Tower, Lloyd. It's only so much longer before they come to _rescue_ you…"

"What are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be coy."

He dropped the act. "It'll be three on one, Harumi. I wouldn't count your chickens just yet."

She smiled cruelly. "Perhaps it's you who shouldn't be so fast to count…I'm afraid there has been a little flaw in your plan."

His heart skipped a beat.

"What do you mean? What did you do?"

"I'm afraid you're going to be down a friend, dear Lloyd…"

Just then, the throne room doors flew open, revealing P.I.X.A.L, Nya, and Skylor.

"Think again, Harumi." Nya said with a smirk. Harumi's eyes fell on P.I.X.A.L and for a second, he composure cracked. But it was regained in the next instant.

"How. Very. Interesting."

 _ **37**_

The Baron watched as the three outsiders walked across the arena, boxing in their former friend. It wouldn't be long now…

 _Cole_

Cole was out of energy…he wasn't sure that he could dodge anymore attacks.

"Guys…you have to snap out of it…" he was panting with effort as he trembled to his feet.

His friends made no move to stop as their triangulated approach forced him into a corner.

"JAY…KAI…ZANE" he yelled at them, but no reaction. He tried to power up his arms but after a brief flash his earth punch failed, he felt faint.

"WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!" Zane hit him with a blast, and he found himself frozen in place.

" _Face it Cole…you're going to die here."_ It was Kai who was talking now, and the three ninja were raising their arms in unison for a final attack. " _You're going to die in this strange realm where nobody will even remember you."_

Cole shook his head. This couldn't happen…this wasn't happening.

" _Just like nobody even cares that you're gone back home."_

Terror was coursing through him now…these were not his friends. They were going to kill him. Despite his body's attempt at giving him adrenaline, he struggled against the ice. Forget super strength, he could barely stay awake! He looked up at them again as their arms radiated with elemental power; it was going to be a point-blank hit. Utterly exhausted, he looked into their eyes for one last try.

"… _Please_ …"

 _Keyda_

Keyda slammed through the doorway of the Baron's office. He and Heavy Metal turned in surprise; for a moment she was shocked that there weren't more people guarding the Baron…but then she remembered that he was the most feared Oni in the realm. What did he need to be guarded against?

Heavy Metal sprang at her but she dodged him, his momentum causing him to slam into the wall. The Baron just looked at her coldly as she launched for him. He stepped out of the way and she nearly fell out the open window.

"And just what do you think you are doing?"

She looked over at him; he was mere inches away from her.

"Just like you said…destroying things." With that she snatched the staff and fell backwards out of the window towards the dirt below.

On the other side of the arena there was an explosion of elemental power.

Heavy Metal ran over to the Baron as they watched her fall.

"Should we storm the arena?" he asked, turning to his boss. But the Baron was wearing the same amused expression as always.

"Not just yet, Heavy Metal. Not just yet."

Keyda yelled as she fell, swinging the rod down as the earth rushed up to meet her. The enchanted staff head shattered as pain shot up her arm from the impact. She hit the ground hard, but with shaky arms pushed herself to her feet and took off running towards a group of colored figures yards away. She passed the three outsiders with barely a glance. Their red eyes were already fading.

There he was, lying in the dirt once again, surrounded by chunks of ice and rubble. She dropped next to him.

"Get up, Idiot, we have to get out of here _now!"_ she said harshly, but he didn't respond. Unconscious…or…

She was shaking a little as she looked for signs of life. He didn't appear to be breathing. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Wake up…WAKE UP! Imbecile…Idiot…IDIOT!" She was trembling harder now. She felt her cheek. Was she crying? " _You don't get to drive me half mad and then die! WAKE UP!"_

Behind her, the ninja were finally coming to. They were disoriented, but Jay realized what was happening ahead.

"COLE!" He yelled, and then the ninja saw who was with him.

" _WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"_ Kai was running at her, fists flaming. She would pay dearly for her betrayal and for hurting his friend.

Behind him, Jay, was powering up his lightening as well. Only Zane was saying nothing, trying desperately to process how they had gotten here and what was actually happening.

Keyda whirled around to face them, her features contorted with anger and hatred.

"You said you were his _friends!"_

They paused, taken aback by her verbal attack.

"He believed that you would never forget him!" She screamed again, and Kai shook himself.

" _Stop messing with our heads_ …YOU are the one who betrayed US… and then you came and did this to…"

" _I DIDN'T DO THIS."_ A purple aura had started whipping around Keyda as she glared at the outsiders. How dare they blame her?! " _YOU DID."_

Unnoticed by any of them, Iron Baron entered the arena, grinning broadly. He gestured and Dragon Masters began running at Keyda and the Outsiders.

Keyda turned as the first dragon masters approached, and in her rage she threw large bruise-colored spheres of power at them. Jay gasped in panic.

"That looks just like…"

"Garmadon." Kai finished, trying to decide between firing at the attacking dragon masters or Keyda. He had known this girl was evil…he had _known!_

Keyda blasted many of the Dragon Masters away, but there were too many and they soon overwhelmed her.

"Take her to the extraction chamber." The Baron said, sounding collected as always despite the chaos.

As they dragged her away, she made eye contact with Zane. His processors were in overdrive trying to make sense of everything happening. He looked at her, questioningly.

"You spoke of Brotherhood!" She screamed, and then pointed at Cole before another Oni grabbed her arm. " _DOES THIS LOOK LIKE BROTHERHOOD TO YOU?"_ She disappeared out of the door.

Kai and Jay were busy blasting the approaching Dragon Masters.

"A little help, _Zane?!"_ Jay yelled, snapping the nindroid out of his mind fog. He turned to freeze the nearest person. The Baron's voice cut through the mayhem once again.

"Now…be good generals and stand down…"

The ninja struggled to see where he was.

"Generals?! What are you talking about? _Show yourself_! I have a bone to pick with you as well!" Kai yelled.

"You really do need to stand down…"

Suddenly the Dragon Masters backed off, and the ninja were finally able to see the Iron Baron. He stood over Cole, with a spear pointed downward just above their unmoving friend.

"Or someone could get hurt."

The ninja froze, and each stood down. They weren't sure if Cole was even alive or not…but they couldn't take the chance. The Baron smiled.

"Ah…now isn't that better? It would be hard to trust you with my army if you couldn't follow basic directions…"

"Seriously, _WHAT_ are you talking about!?" Jay yelled. Ever since they had arrived in this crazy realm it had just been one cryptic message after another and he was SICK OF IT.

The Baron didn't reply, and the Dragon Masters soon had them in shackles. They began prodding them to the door. The Baron called out to them as they left.

"Now, don't forget to behave! I'd hate for anything else to happen to your friend."

The doors slammed closed and The Baron gave a contented sigh. He loved when things came together. Heavy Metal appeared next to him as he looked down with distain at Cole's body.

"Dispose of him." he ordered quietly, and then breezed out of the arena.

 _ **38**_

"You guys help Lloyd… I've got Harumi." Nya said, that the trio sprang into action.

Nya's spear hit the Empress's sword as she scoffed.

"I believe we already did this once, Nya…and if I remember right I won…"

"If _I_ remember right," Nya spun behind her, looking for an opening. "Last time I got away."

"Well your dirty thief isn't here to save you this time, is he?"

P.I.X.A.L and Skylor reached Lloyd's cage; P.I.X.A.L searched for the release switch while Skylor kicked the bars.

The android found the switch and was headed for it when deranged laughter cut in.

"Well well well….looks like Mr. E's little plan didn't work." Ultra Violet barged from the shadows and P.I.X.A.L jumped out of the way. She pulled out her bow and shot the lever, and the cage lifted back up into the ceiling.

"That's better…." Lloyd smiled and Skylor handed him a katana. He charged Harumi, who spun to block his attack and then avoided Nya's next move. The water ninja crashed into Lloyd and sent them both sprawling.

P.I.X.A.L and Skylor were getting the heads up on Ultraviolet as Lloyd and Nya regained their footing and started backing Harumi into a corner.

"Give up, Harumi…you're outnumbered." Lloyd said. But Harumi merely smiled.

"You aren't the only one who doesn't quit, Lloyd." She reached out and hit a switch on the wall. An alarm sounded and Nya looked around.

"Shoot, we're gonna have SoG's swarming this place in seconds…"

"You didn't really think I wouldn't be prepared with back-up, did you? Unlike you," she turned to Lloyd. "I don't pretend to be able to handle things on my own."

The doors were still open and SoG began flooding in. The four rebels were suddenly outnumbered, and found themselves going back to back in a circle, trying to figure a way out of their situation. Harumi just laughed.

"And what will you do now?"

 _Wu_

Wu didn't think he could hold on for much longer. He had giving up mediating in favor of pacing, but he continued to worry about the ninja. He turned at the end of the hallway once again, deciding that Dragons really needed to take up tea-drinking. What he wouldn't give for a nice soothing cup to calm his nerves.

The Elder Dragon watched with placid curiosity.

 _Do you doubt the Elemental Masters?_

Wu sighed. "I am not used to not having the answers…they have gone off with no help and no guide into a highly volatile realm. I do not know how Cole is faring or if the ninja will be able to save him. It bothers me immensely that I have thus far been of no help to them…I am in a weak physical state and know next to nothing about this realm. It does not bode well for…"

 _Perhaps while you wait, I can teach you more._

Wu stopped pacing. "That would be much appreciated."

He followed the Elder Dragon from his cavern and down another tunnel. Their way was lit by the Dragon's weak glow.

 _We did not always have to cower underground. We were once a proud race which feared nothing and ruled the skies as far back as our enemies pretended to rule the ground._

"The Oni have always been your enemies, then."

The Dragon made a noise that must have been a scoff.

 _They hardly could ever be anything else. We, majestic beasts who hold the power of creation, and they, pale monsters who spread destruction._

They had reached a large inner chamber, and Wu could see Dragons of different sizes and colors scattered throughout. He looked over at a deep green mother, nuzzling her young. Across the chamber two males sparred, snapping and butting heads.

"What drove you underground?" Wu asked, climbing up on an outcrop of rock so that he could be more eye-level with the ancient beast. The Elder Dragon lay down, looking across the large chamber.

 _Our problems have their roots in events from our ancient past. Despite our opposition, there were both Oni and Dragons who didn't fall as closely to the edges of the spectrum of creation and destruction._

"I see…" Wu said softly.

The Dragon took on a look of disgust. _There were two who were especially rebellious. They even considered themselves friends. Antirock was a dragon who believed that destruction could be necessary…and even beautiful. Echo was an Oni who tried to teach her people that affection wasn't a weakness._

"How did the clans react to them?"

 _The clans knew of their misguided beliefs, but none of us knew of their connection to each other. By the time that was discovered, something had already been born of their combined powers of creation and destruction._

"A child."

The Dragon looked at Wu for the first time.

 _A child. At first both clans wanted to destroy him…surely he presented a danger to us all. Yet he slowly won over Dragon and Oni alike. He came up with a technique that could be used to both create new and wondrous things while possessing the destructive power of a weapon. He called it Spinjitzu._

The dragon paused to study Wu at this point, but the child next to him didn't say anything.

 _The child had opened our eyes to the great power that could be achieved. Echo and Antirock had hoped the child would help unite our clans, but such foolish beliefs were not to come to fruition. Instead, the Oni and the Dragons realized that they both suddenly had a means to finally overpower the other. But the Child managed to escape our realm with the help of his rebellious creators._

 _Both Dragon and Oni spent decades trying to track him down. We finally discovered the realm that he was from and both parties searched it extensively. But alas, neither group ever discovered him._

"What happened to Echo and Antirock?"

 _They were punished-it was with their help that the child was able to escape. The Oni were unforgiving; not only was Echo put to death but they began to search out and destroy any Oni who seemed to possess affectionate qualities. They called it the Great Purge. However, despite their new dedication to hatred, they found their overall powers waning and after decades seemed to have lost their connection to nearly all of their ancient power. They had to give up their search for the child because they could no longer jump between realms._

"And…the dragon?"

 _Antirock was granted mercy with the condition that he would help to form some kind of connection between the child and the Dragon clan. We learned from him that the power of the child was a combination of the powers of the Elemental race of dragons. It seems the power of the four guardians had been duplicated within four golden weapons, which the child had used to both leave our realm and create a new one. With the help of Antirock, the Elemental Dragons were able to form a connection to the child in his realm. We dragons were confident that this connection would allow us to track him down. We sent four lesser elemental dragons to fetch him and the weapons, but rather than bring him back they chose to side with the child and eventually became the guardians of the weapons themselves._

 _We again felt betrayed by Antirock. In his dying breath he promised that someday the child and the elements that had been stolen from our race would be returned to the Dragon Nation forever. Together they would bring the rise of the Dragon Master; the promise was that the side which was aided by the Dragon Master would finally win the war. We have long awaited that day._

Wu felt the need to change the subject. "But that still doesn't explain why the Dragons were forced to seek shelter underground."

 _The Oni were in a weakened state due to the loss of their connection to the ancient power. We were sure victory would be ours…but we soon found ourselves weakened and our four elemental guardians declined in power, having created ethereal connections to a new generation of humans called Elemental Masters. Meanwhile an Oni called the Iron Baron rose to power. He had a manipulative mind the likes of which we had never faced; rather than simply destroying us he focused on capturing and enslaving dragons using the dregs of ancient power that he was able to connect to. We soon found ourselves not fighting just the Oni, but our own brothers as well. We knew that the Oni sought to reconnect with the ancient power of Pure Hatred, and over the years we have the premonition that the Baron is getting closer to doing so. Oni power has been growing in other realms as well; quite recently our Elemental Guardians were forced fully back to our realm. Since that day we have combined our powers in the creation of a safe haven, waiting for the fulfillment of Antirock's prophecy._

"And now that prophecy is coming to fruition." Wu finished. "And we do not have much time…we ourselves need the help of the Dragon Master to go back to our realm and defend our home."

The ancient Dragon looked at Wu with curiosity, though Wu could see something almost lustful hiding beneath the expression.

 _But my dear boy…you_ are _home._

 _ **39**_

The Outsider was heavier than he looked. Heavy Metal had caught on to the Baron's insinuation; if the bloke wasn't already dead, it was his job to finish him off. After inspecting him, he decided the kid was a goner and was now carrying him down the hall, trying to decide how to get rid of him.

The Baron had the bloke's buddies locked up somewhere; he wouldn't be able to dispose of him anywhere they would be able to find him. How does one make a body disappear? Perhaps the best option would be to toss him down into the catacombs…

As he approached the ancient catacombs deep under the fortress, a roar sounded that shook dust from the tunnels. Heavy Metal grinned under his mask; the beast was awake. It would make light work of the outsider.

 _Theater_

"Well…we're here," Ed called from the front of the tour bus. He glanced backwards to the rest of the crew. "So…anybody have any ideas?"

Ronin was getting especially antsy as he leaned up against one wall of the bus. He knew he could probably slip out of this situation if he needed to…but not with the rest of these yahoos. Talk about conflicting priorities.

"Well, we could always…" Dareth started, but the thief cut him off grumpily.

"Ideas that would _actually work,_ Dareth. That basically rules out anything you have to say."

"Come now, Gentleman, we cannot cave to pressure now," Lou said quietly as Dareth puffed up for a comeback. The performer was feeling pretty down…he had been sure this plan would work. He was certain that with his idea they could actually help the cause and that he would finally do something useful. But now they were all headed straight to Harumi.

His hand tightened around his cane as he thought of her. He definitely had unfinished business with that mademoiselle…but he also knew that he was no match for her and her cronies. She would undoubtedly recognize him and the others. Perhaps that Killow fellow already had; it was the only reason that he would force them all to the tower like this, unless they really were desperate for quality entertainment. Which to be fair, Lou didn't actually doubt.

He pulled a picture out of his front pocket and studied it. What would his son have done in this situation?

They pulled to a stop in front of the tower and the bikes filled in around them.

"Is that…an alarm?" Dareth asked as some kind of blaring could be heard. They heard Killow bellow outside.

"To your stations! It seems our Empresses' guests aren't playing so nice…" The large purple man glared as his cronies jumped off their bikes. Killow held out his hand to block a group of them.

"Not you…I have a different job for the group of you." he pointed a big thumb over at the theater truck. "Make sure they stay put, yeah? In fact, do me a favor and have them all gathered up by the time I get back…"

In the bus, the theater troupe watched as the S.O.G members poured into the tower.

"Why do I get the feeling that those kids are in trouble… _again?"_ Ronin grumbled. He opened one of the back doors to the tour bus.

"Wait, where are you going?" Dareth demanded. If this guy abandoned ship _one more time…_

"Don't worry about it. Just make sure this bucket of bolts is ready to go when I get back." He disappeared.

"Uh…fellas? It seems there are a few people trying to board the bus…" Ed called out from the front. The rest of the troupe could hear banging as S.O.G members tried to force their way onboard.

"Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way outta this one…" Dareth drawled, pulling on his brown ninja hood. The whole bus suddenly lurched and the brown ninja looked over to see Lou standing next to the activated stage lever.

"Let's give them a performance they won't forget."

Bikers leapt unto the newly formed stage, trying to locate the renegades. One parted the curtain only to be hit with something and slump to the ground. His comrades looked at each other and then ran to the curtain, only to be felled in a similar way. The S.O.G still off the stage had the initiative to shoot the curtain down. As it crumpled, it revealed an angry Lou wielding a heavy flamingo prop with one hand while his other braced a sore back. He was thinking he might have overexerted himself just a bit.

The bikers yelled and charged the performer, who took a few steps back as if in retreat. As they breached the curtain line a tarzan-esque yell caused them to pause and look over as Dareth came flying down on a rope and harness, foot extended in a kung-fu kick. In a classic Dareth move, he missed all three of them on the first pass by. However he was able to hit straight on in his return trip and knocked them clean off the stage. He landed and gave Ed a dazed thumbs-up, who returned the gesture from behind the special effects backstage board.

"Oooo…don't you know it's rude to touch a woman's purse?!" The troupe looked over to see Edna beating one of the S.O.G members with her handbag. A few more approached her menacingly.

"Hey fellas!" Ed called, and the three goons turned. "Keep your hands off my wife!" He pushed another button on his backstage console and three sandbags flattened two of the members. One had stepped out of the way, but a final blow from Mrs. Walker's handbag left him on the ground with his friends.

"So far, so good," Dareth noted, on the watch for other bikers. "How long do we have to keep this up?"

Lou rubbed his sore back ruefully as he gazed up at the top of the tower, where several teenagers were undoubtedly in a bad situation.

"As long as we have to."

 _Keyda_

Keyda took out a few more Dragon Masters on her way but in the end it hadn't been enough. She was dragged through a doorway onto some kind of balcony overlooking what she knew would be her new prison. Instead of bars, it was made of a glass-like substance with a large hole in the top. The balcony had no railing and the Oni were forcing her to the edge. She was too busy fighting them to pay much attention to the rest of the room, other than noticing there was all sorts of bulky equipment around. They got her to the edge and she blasted one of the Oni off the other side of the balcony; he hit the side of the glass cage and thumped onto the floor below with a groan. That was to be her last victory, however, as the other Dragon Masters were able to shove her off the balcony and into the cages opening a few feet below. She hit the bottom of the glass chamber, looking up frantically at the hole. However the Oni were already pulling some kind of large tube over the opening, sealing her in. She yelled in anger and more of the purple smoke swirled around her, but after a few moments she noticed that it all seemed to be being pulled upward, into the tube. She watched in confusion as the smoke went out and into the other containers and tubes that seemed to now be attached to this one. She had no idea what any of it meant…but she did know that she needed to get out of here. She pounded on the strange glass, punching and kicking, but whatever the material was it was too strong for her. Eventually her anger drained away, leaving a feeling of hopelessness. She hit the wall once more and sank to the ground. As she sat, small violet tendrils continued to waft off of her.

 _What's happening to me?_

Back in the Baron's cell, and then more fully in the arena, something had cracked within her. But rather than a crack that left her broken, it had felt more like a crack in the cocoon of an insect. Something within her had been freed…but what was it?

"You have no idea how many years I have been waiting for this moment." She looked up and glared at the Baron as purple vapor filled the air. He looked serene, but a dark mirth flashed in his eyes. She hated him.

"Get. Out."

"Aren't you interested in why I spared you, all those years ago?"

She wasn't. He continued to talk anyways.

"I saw something in you that day…something in you that lead me to _know_ we could get to this moment together."

She turned her back on him and covered her ears. She couldn't attack him…she couldn't get out. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone? The Baron kept going.

"You have done what we have been trying to do for _DECADES,_ Keyda. Don't you know how remarkable this is?" He paused to let her answer, but she chose to simply shrink into herself more.

He came closer, his face just inches from the back of her head. The only thing between them was the thick glass.

"You have connected to the true and ancient power of the Oni…the power of _Pure Hatred…_ "

She whirled on him, eyes burning with disgust.

"That's what you've been searching for?" she hissed. "Hate? How could you not find it in _yourself_ … you care about _nothing_!"

He smiled like he was proud of her for pointing that out. "That is precisely the problem…."

"I've hated you for _years…_ why would it suddenly make a difference now?!" she said, her voice rising.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, dear Keyda. You have detested me perhaps…but emotions such as despising and loathing are far different from untainted hatred. Oni have access to nearly every negative emotion you can think of. But Pure Hate? That is something that we haven't been able to achieve in centuries."

She didn't speak.

"Everything has a balance. You see, in order to truly hate something, you first must feel what it is like to truly _care_ about something." he paused, a twinkle in his eye. "Or some _one_."

"SHUT UP." She turned away from him again, eyes closed and hands over her ears. She didn't have to listen to this… _she didn't have to!_

"It's just as you said before, Keyda. _**I**_ have never cared about anyone. I can't think of any Oni nowadays who ever has. Affection was deemed a weakness and stamped out long ago. Nowadays we are beings of destruction— we either fear or are we are feared. But when I saw you scowling from the rubble in your village that day …there was something deeper in the look you gave. I realized that you might someday unlock the power to truly hate…because you had potential to truly _care._ "

More purple exploded out of her as she tried to blast through the glass into his face. He didn't even flinch.

"So I set out for _years_ trying to get you to hate me. Truly hate me. But despite that first inkling I had, you seemed doomed to the same loathsome apathy as the rest of us. I targeted you in one way or another…I even planned on having you fail your initiation because I knew how much you hoped to get out of your station in life. But all of those things were so rudimentary. I had no way to help you actually experience _love."_

" _Get away from me!"_ She pounded the glass, but he smiled cruelly, determined to finish his discourse.

"If only I had known that all it would take was a naive outsider…"

" _I NEVER CARED ABOUT HIM."_ Her eyes were squeezed shut as more purple vapor poured from her; the Aura of Hatred.

"Of course…which is why his _death_ had no effect on you."

She smashed the wall again, desperately wanting- -NO, _needing_ -to kill the man in front of her.

"He's dead, Keyda." The Baron was talking slowly, each word a weapon. "Eliminated by those he considered friends, by my command. Because of his connection to _you._ " The box was saturated with violet smoke as the tube couldn't withdraw it fast enough; she couldn't even see the Baron anymore. But she could imagine his smug expression.

" _That's_ why you did all of this?!" Her hands were raw from pounding. "Then why use your Enrager on him at all?! What were you going to do if it had worked _?!"_

"Oh, is _that_ what you thought I was doing in the dungeon yesterday?" He sounded almost apologetic. "No, Keyda, I'm afraid his fate was decided the second I realized you could have feelings for him."

Her blood ran cold as she processed what he had said. Iron Baron had never actually tried to control Cole….he had only been torturing him. To get to _her._

"You…you planned all of this…"

She had never actually escaped from the Baron…not even once. He had orchestrated every move, put every play in motion. Perhaps he had even expected Cole to take her from the arena. He had left them for days together in the dungeon…all of it was building up to the point where he could terminate something she had learned to care about. So she would hate the Baron. And she did; now she really _truly_ hated him. Silent tears coursed down her cheeks.

The Baron tsked. "Now now, don't be tarnishing all of this perfect hatred with grief. The boy was a sacrifice that had to be made…you cannot achieve hatred without affection. "

He had walked away from her prison now, heading to something on the other side of the device. He pulled a small cylinder away from the end that the final tube in the process fed into. It was about half-way full of a concentrated purple material.

"I just made the most of a situation that was granted to me" He continued, examining the purple substance. "True…it was a strange situation that I didn't quite understand, but a true leader works with what he is given. I had to keep kicking things up a notch, making sure things kept escalating until the point when it would finally be enough to break your heart." He turned to look back at her. "Tell me, Keyda; what exactly was it you saw in him?"

He was trying to anger her…pull more hatred from her. But there was nothing she could do about it. The aura continued to pour out of her; she had no control.

"Was it his _smile?_ Or maybe it was that 'charming personality' he mentioned. Perhaps it was the way he rushed into things, recklessly… or muddled himself up when he tried to speak."

She tried to tune him out. She tried desperately to think of something else…

"Oh wait…perhaps it was the way he rushed to defend you, time after time. In fact, I believe the first words he ever said to me were in your defense." Here he laughed. "Yes, that must be it…he was the first person who has ever tried to _protect_ you, wasn't he? A little stupid, perhaps, but moving just the same."

" _STOP IT."_

"Such a _hero_ , trying to rescue you from the likes of me. But I suppose that leads us into the bigger mystery…what on earth did _he_ see in a monster like you?"

" _YOU_ are the monster…" she whispered. He was walking to the door now, leaving her to her thoughts.

"Of course." he said off-handedly. "To be an Oni is to be a monster. Which is why it is just as well as I destroyed him now… I merely saved him from being destroyed by you later."

 _ **40**_

"Ok…so this didn't go exactly according to plan…" Lloyd murmured as the four friends stood back to back, facing the jeering S.O.G crowd.

"But when does it ever?" Nya muttered.

"Now isn't this an incredibly satisfying moment?" Harumi gloated, approaching Skylor. "Shall we see who's hiding under this mask?"

Skylor struck out but all it took was several S.O.G to grab her for Harumi to be able to yank off the hood. The self-proclaimed empress looked at her quizzically.

"…I must say that I actually have no idea who you are…"

"HEY! That's the lady who run's Chen Noodle House!" One belligerent S.O.G. called out. Skylor found the speaker in the crowd and recognized him as one of the chumps she had to regularly throw out. She rolled her eyes in irritation.

"A restaurant owner, huh?" Harumi shook her head and casually tossed Skylor's hood. "I must say, you ninja hang out with all sorts; thieves, cooks, performers…someday we'll dig all your friends from the woodwork and be rid of your entire pathetic resistance." She pulled out a sword and grinned maliciously.

"Speaking of, let's bring _your_ little story to a close right now, shall we?"

P.I.X.A.L ran every scenario she could think of, but there really didn't seem to be a way out of this one. She found herself incredibly irritated that she couldn't be more useful. Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw something flick and her heart gave a whir of hope.

"Get ready to move…" she muttered quietly to her friends. Harumi raised her sword, and the lights promptly went out.

The four teammates launched into action in the blackness. The S.O.G. members attacked, but most of them grabbed each other and a few unlucky thugs grabbed Harumi herself.

"GET OFF ME, FOOLS! Get the lights! _Find them!"_

Mechanical whirring could be heard as the lights flicked back on. Lloyd and the others had made it halfway through the crowd of S.O.G, but the goons quickly grabbed them and halted their escape. In the chaos, the mechanical noises got louder. Suddenly there was a swarm of small, apple-sized flying robotic contraptions attacking the S.O.G members, who yelled out and swatted at them.

P.I.X.A.L looked over at the doorway at the person she had glimpsed earlier. Cyrus Borg smiled tightly with a wave.

"I figured you four could use some help…but now you need to get out of here!"

P.I.X.A.L shook off her now-distracted captors and ran towards her creator. "This time, I'm not leaving without you!"

"STOP THEM!" Harumi screamed, but she was struggling to get through the hordes of robots.

"No, P.I.X.A.L, I must stay here to control the bots." Borg insisted. In his lap was some kind of technical control panel that he was furiously typing at.

"But…"

"PIX!" Nya called from another doorway where she, Lloyd, and Skylor were waiting. "WE GOTTA GO!"

P.I.X.A.L's face hardened with determination. She was not leaving Borg here to suffer the consequences that would occur after this insubordination. She continued on her path towards him, pushing past the yelling S.O.G.

"There's more than one way to stop an escape…" Harumi hissed. She cut through a few more robots with her sword and then snatched a crossbow off of a nearby biker. She took aim at the man in the wheelchair.

"PIX!" Lloyd and Nya were pushing their way towards her robotic friend, while Skylor fought bikers off to keep their exit open. Harumi shot the bolt.

" _NO!"_ P.I.X.A.L yelled as she watched Borg crumple from his wheelchair. She pushed past more S.O.G., desperate to reach him. Robots dropped out of the air like heavy metal rain and a cheer went up among the bikers.

P.I.X.A.L reached Borg and turned him over. He was alive, but his face was contorted with pain.

"I'm…sorry P.I.X.A.L…"

She just shook her head, both in shock and because this man had nothing to be sorry about. Lloyd and Nya reached the inventor and moved in to help lift him. He weakly swatted them away.

"Don't lose your window…you all know that there's no making it out of here with me as dead weight…"

"But…sir…" Nya tried and he shook his head. The S.O.G were quickly closing in, and any chance at escape would soon be gone. He turned to Lloyd.

"My boy…you must destroy those masks…"

"But _how?"_

"There is hope…golden hope…locked away…"

" _What?"_ The inventor seemed to be losing it.

Borg shook his head. "That…that is all I can say here…but I know you will figure it out. Now _GO!"_

The S.O.G had reached them and Nya leapt in front of P.I.X.A.L and Borg, holding the thugs off with an enraged yell. Lloyd pulled P.I.X.A.L up off the ground.

"I'm…I'm sorry Pix, but he's right. We have to go _now!"_

"You aren't going anywhere!" Harumi called, slowly approaching the scene. P.I.X.A.L snapped back to reality. She couldn't leave Borg behind…but she also knew that she didn't have any other choice. She grabbed the control panel off the ground and began typing furiously. The Robots leapt back into action, attacking the S.O.G once more.

By the doorway, Skylor had continued to fight off the S.O.G who were trying to flip the lever to seal of the exit. After the robots went down, however, she knew she wasn't going to last much longer on her own. She sighed in relief as she noticed that P.I.X.A.L had gotten them airborne again. Suddenly, someone grabbed the redhead from behind. She yelled out as Killow lifted her off the ground.

"Sorry I'm late, Empress…I just picked something up in Jamaniki village that I think you will find interesting…"

The ninja began to once again fight their way towards the exit, their escape helped by P.I.X.A.L's robotic army. However, the small bots seemed to barely affect Killow, who appeared not to care as they poked and jabbed at him.

"Stop right there, ninja…or I'm gonna have to hurt your little friend…" Killow taunted, squeezing Skylor for emphasis. She grunted in pain, trying in vain to kick him in the face.

Nya turned to Lloyd and P.I.X.A.L, though the robot was pretty distracted as she continued to keep the S.O.G at bay with her robotic controller.

"Now what?!"

A flash of black knocked the three of them out of the way of a crossbow bolt. Harumi had fired once again, but instead of hitting the robot girl, the bolt went straight into Killow's calf. He howled in pain and dropped Skylor as he grabbed his leg.

Skylor managed to land on her feet and kicked aggressively at the large purple man's other knee. He toppled and she turned to her friends.

" _NOW!"_

Everything had happened so fast that Nya had hesitated on the floor. Someone offered her a hand and she looked up to see some cloaked person with a white half-mask on. Stunned, she let him help her up.

"Well…things can't get weirder than this…"

"Save it. If we're gonna get you idiots out of here, we have to move _now!"_ the masked man groused in a familiar voice.

"Ronin?!" she asked as he pushed her towards the exit.

 _I take it back…things definitely just got weirder._

The five refugees rushed from the room. Ronin was the last to leave and threw a knife at the security lever as he dove through the exit before the security bars came down. He groaned as he pulled himself back up.

"Not as young as I once was…" he muttered ruefully. They rushed down the hall and P.I.X.A.L destroyed the console she was holding before tossing it. The robots were all in the other room and the signal to the controller had been lost in their escape. But she also didn't want Harumi getting her hands on it to use those robots against them someday. Her thoughts turned to Cyrus Borg and she felt a wave of guilt and sadness; part of her wanted to turn and rush back to save him, but she knew that there was no way that they could have gotten the inventor out. She still was calculating a 68% chance that _they_ wouldn't make it out of this tower.

"Wait…" Skylor called out as they ran. "Where do we even go from here? My cover's blown…even if we make it out of here Harumi will be watching my restaurant like a hawk."

"Nya's Samauri X cave." Ronin said matter of factly. The Water Ninja turned to him in surprise.

"Is _that_ where you've been hiding out this whole time?!"

"But how will we even get there? On foot?" Lloyd chimed in. Ronin shook his head with a smirk.

"We have quite the get-away bus…so long as Dareth hasn't done anything to blow it up."

 _Harumi_

Harumi screamed at her useless forces.

"DO NOT let them escape…or there will be _severe consequences!_ " The S.O.G pushed past each other to rush out of the room, a task made easier now that the robots were once again lying motionless on the floor. The empress breezed over to where Cyrus Borg was panting painfully on the ground. She crouched next to him, and he glared at her defiantly.

"And here I thought you were supposed to be _smart…_ " she said icily. The inventor swallowed at her tone. She stood up and called a lingering goon over.

"Lock him up in his office. If his injury doesn't take care of him, then I'll let Garmadon do the honors." She felt a spike of triumph as the color drained out of Borg's face.

She turned away as the Goon pulled Borg from the ground and threw him back into his wheelchair.

"You can do what you like to me!" Borg called out, but Harumi didn't even bother turning as she continued to walk towards the exit that the ninja had escaped from. "But they _will_ defeat you!"

"Save your strength." she said offhandedly. "You'll need it.

24


	10. Part 9

Nicki's Story

 _ **41**_

The ninja were in a cell…apparently there would be no cozy\ room for this stay. They knew that the prison was no match for their powers, but it didn't stop the sense of foreboding as they heard the lock slide into place. They stood for a moment in stunned silence.

"Ok, _who wants to explain to me what the heck just happened?!"_ Jay was off to an early start.

"You wanna know what just happened?!" Kai punched the nearby wall. "What just happened is that the Oni who _I SAID NOT TO TRUST_ got us captured and hurt Cole!"

"Ok…but does anyone actually remember anything that happened between those two moments? Because I'm _drawing a blank_!" Jay yelled. One look at his friends and he knew that they were having the same memory problem as he was. Suddenly he looked at Zane.

"Wait, Zane! You're a nindroid…you would have everything on playback, wouldn't you?"

"If he was able to record what happened, he would have _remembered_ what happened, _stupid."_ Kai chastised. But Zane spoke up softly.

"There does seem to be a file…but…"

"Well hurry up and _play it,_ metal man!" Jay needed things to start making sense before all the enigmatic crap made him lose his mind. He turned to face the nindroid, and for the first time noticed that Zane looked very disturbed. "Zane…what's up?"

Zane looked at the floor, trying to will the courage to open the file he had discovered. It had been buried under layers of anti-virus...that mixed with the dialogue that had occurred in the arena had already lead him to a devastating conclusion. The thought of what might be on the file made him sick…but he also needed to know the truth.

"You don't have to play it." Kai said, having picked up on Zane's uneasiness. "We already know what happened…"

"No. We do not know what happened." Zane said. "Not for sure." He clenched his jaw and began the file; it projected itself out of his eyes and onto the cell wall.

"See!? This is the prison, where Keyda set us up. Then the Baron captured us…" Kai said, as if the video had already proven his point.

"Why does the video have this weird red tint to it?" Jay pointed out. "I don't think…"

"Shut up, Jay." Kai said angrily. "You're the one who wanted to watch this."

The video continued with them being led to the room in the arena. They had apparently been there for a bit because nothing happened for a while. Jay made Zane fast forward. Suddenly, the doors opened.

"There's Cole…" Kai pointed out.

"Why is he looking at us like that?…" Jay questioned. Zane said nothing, but his heart sank as his suspicions were proving to be true.

 _"GUYS…IT'S ME!"_

"Well, _duh…_ honestly, he's such a boulder brain…did he think we wouldn't recognize him with a few scrapes and bruises?" Jay asked uneasily as the scene continued to unfold.

"… _the hypnobrai incident…"_

"Why is he mentioning that?" Kai asked. "Why bring that up?"

"Because we were under the Baron's mind control." Zane knew he was correct; it's why Cole was so afraid of them, and why he mentioned an event from their past involving mind control. It's why none of them could remember what had happened and why the tainted file had been attacked by his anti-virus-ware the second the mind-control had faded. Kai looked like he wanted to argue, but in the video Jay was attacking Cole.

"I never said any of that…" Jay said, guilt twisting inside. "Why on earth would I bring Nya up; that was _years_ ago…"

"I almost hit him…" Kai said quietly. The video was making them all feel sick, but none of them could look away.

"Zane, you're _crushing him!"_ Jay nearly screamed, but in the next second the camera was picking up flashing scenery as Zane went flying through the air. The perspective righted itself as Zane stood and the three of them headed to the corner where Cole was on the ground.

"I think we wake up soon…that's where Cole was when we woke up…" Kai said. At some point Keyda was going to come flying into this video as well...she had been attacking Cole when they had come to.

They watched in horror as Cole struggled to his feet and begged them to wake up. A blast from Zane froze him to the spot.

"This isn't right…." Kai said, as Jay began shaking next to him. Where was Keyda?

" _Face it Cole…you're going to die here…you're going to die in this strange realm where nobody will even remember you."_

Kai shook his head and turned to Zane.

"Zane…turn it off…"

" _Just like nobody cares you're gone back home…"_

"I said TURN IT OFF!" Kai said, closing his eyes and turning away. There was no way any of this had happened…he never would have said that. It was a lie… _it had to be._

Zane wouldn't shut it down, though every part of him wanted to. His mind was begging him to look away….to destroy the video…but he couldn't. He _had to know the truth._

In the video, their arms were powering up.

"WE AREN'T WAKING UP!" Jay was freaking out. Kai looked back at the screen just in time to see Cole's harrowed expression.

 _"….Please…"_

"NO!" He and Jay screamed together as the video showed the attack hit Cole point blank, shattering the ice and throwing him back onto the dirt. He didn't move again. The three friends in the cell were numb with shock as the video continued playing. They heard a yell and something smash, and the red tint began fading from the video as Keyda flew past to get to Cole. Kai waited for her attack, but to their surprise it seemed like she was trying to wake him up.

"She's…she's crying…" Jay said softly. He had backed up into the wall and slid to the ground, still trembling. Suddenly, the video shut off; the file had reached its end. As the projector light faded, Zane stayed frozen in place.

He had pieced together what had happened before they ever watched the video…but he had wanted so desperately to have been wrong. The evidence had all been there but he didn't want to have to process…

He found himself flying to the ground as Kai stood over him, angrily.

" _This is all your fault!"_

"Kai, what are you doing?!" Jay tried to yell, but he was too close to throwing up.

"…My fault?" Zane blinked up at his friend, brows knit. He was still trying to process everything…he couldn't understand his friend's rage.

"If you had just _LISTENED TO ME…_ But no, you said that we should follow her into the fortress. _You_ got us captured…." Kai's fists were flaming. Jay came up from behind and grabbed him by the shoulder.

" _THAT'S ENOUGH_ , KAI! This isn't Zane's fault…"

"It is my fault." Zane's friend's looked down at him, and Kai's anger faded as he saw Zane's agonized expression. "I…I miscalculated…" he was shaking his head in horror. "I was built to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, but because of me…"

"Cole's fine…I'm sure he's gonna be fine." Jay cut him off with a terrified laugh. "Like he said, this is all just gonna be something we laugh about later…"

"That depends on how well you follow directions now."

They whirled around to see the Baron peering through the cell door window. Kai launched a fireball and the face disappeared, only to reappear a few moments later to tsk at them.

"You see, that is the exact behavior that will get your friend in trouble…"

"Where is he!?" Jay's hands danced with lightening as he glowered at the Baron.

"In a bad state, I'm afraid. It's amazing to me that you all seem to care so much." He smiled, entertained. "Just a little while ago you couldn't wait to tell him how _worthless_ he was to all of you." He backed away as more attacks came through the window.

"We would have never said those things…" Kai's voice was dangerously low.

"Yes, perhaps not normally…but rage does have a way of loosening the tongue…"

The door shook with the impact of a joined elemental attack.

The Baron's voice became icy. "If you ever want to see him again _alive_ …you will get ahold of yourselves immediately. I'm afraid you three still have a part to play…"

"You cannot control us anymore." Zane cut in. "Keyda destroyed your staff." It hadn't shown in the video…but based on his calculations and the Baron's expression, his knew his estimation had been correct.

"Yes…I must say that was a little hiccup in my design. But don't you all fret about it…I have something even more powerful in the making." He turned to go, and then paused as if remembering something. He turned and spoke in a voice as soft as venom.

"I am no fool…I know that my cells cannot keep you in with the powers you possess…and it is clear you outsiders value your heroism. I would assume you harbor fantasies of saving yourselves and your friend. But let me be clear to you; where he is you will never find him. Behave and you may see Cole again. However, should you chose to escape, you do so with the understanding that he never will." And with that, the prison door window slammed shut.

 _ **42**_

Cole continued walking, though he knew he wasn't actually getting anywhere. In front of him was black…behind him was black… _everything was black._ He groaned in frustration and wished that there was a wall nearby that he could pound, but whatever void he was in only seemed to have a floor. He noticed a glow of light and he glanced down at his arms as his earth punch faded. What?...

He experimented and realized he was able to complete a full earth punch. Had his powers returned to full strength then? It suddenly occurred to him that despite the thrashings he had been through in the last three days, he felt totally fine.

"Oh great. I'm dead." he said aloud, and his voice echoed in the void. But if he was dead he would be a ghost, right? And he didn't _feel_ like a ghost. He should know.

 _No…but you aren't far off if we are being honest…_

What…spooky voices? He whirled around to find the source, but he couldn't see anyone.

"Is this…the departed realm?"

 _No. Nor is it a physical world at all._

"Meaning…?"

 _This is your mind._

"We're in my head? Why is it so dark? Why couldn't we meet in like, the _real_ world?"

 _I think we have already established that you aren't in the best shape in the real world…_

Cole agreed with Jay…nothing was worse than cryptic answers.

"Oh yeah, that's _really comforting, actually!"_ he yelled, his arms glowing as his temper rose. "It's probably got something to do with the fact that somehow the Baron captured _ALL OF MY FRIENDS…Brainwashed them…and then made them attack me!"_

His arms were bathing him in a shallow glow, but he still couldn't make out who the voice belonged to.

"The least you could do is _SHOW YOURSELF!"_

Light flooded in from behind him and he turned around. A brown dragon sat calmly, earthy green wings folded behind it. Cole sighed and his arms powered down.

"I should have known…"

 _Do you not seek the harness?_

He looked back at the Dragon, incredulous.

"Are you kidding? I mean…yeah…technically I guess…but right now there are bigger problems that I'm dealing with! Like, being on the _brink of death_ for instance. Or how my friends are in the _real_ world being used by a power-hungry baron who's gonna make them do who _knows what_ …and…" he stopped talking as his throat became tight.

 _Your friends did not mean what they said to you…_

Apparently Dragons could read minds. _Maybe it's because we're_ in _my mind._ He thought bitterly.

 _They were under…_

"But they were _right…_ weren't they?!" he interjected, voice breaking. "They were right about everything…"

 _Master of Earth…_

Cole turned to glare at him. "There's only one reason they would risk coming back to this place: to get to me. And the Baron got them…who knows what he will do with them now?! And for how _long?_ Jay was right…I left them behind and they had to come rescue me. I just wanted to keep everyone safe, but I should've known it wouldn't work because _nothing I do ever works!"_

The dragon just eyed him calmly as he continued his tirade.

"Do you want to know what happened the _day_ I was in charge?! It only took one day of me leading and I got turned into a GHOST… and then I went back to face Yang and released villains that targeted my friends. I tried to save Keyda and just managed to ruin her life…and nearly _ended it._ I try to save my friends and made it so that they got turned into demonic puppets who didn't even _recognize me…_ " he clenched his fists, unable to release the anger that was building up inside.

"No matter what I do…someone has to always clean up my mess. I'm careless…and clumsy...I can't do _anything right._ I couldn't be a performer, I'm failing as a ninja… me being an elemental master is more than just an accident; it's a _joke._ Maybe it _is_ just better if everyone forgets me!" He slammed his arms into the ground and the blast echoed in the void. The ground itself seemed unaffected, however, and Cole found that extremely unsatisfying.

There was silence as he breathed heavily, aware of the dragon's eyes on the back of his head.

 _There is much_ you _have forgotten yourself._

Cole whirled around, ready with a sarcastic reply, but the dragon was gone. The blackness had disappeared as well, replaced with the scene of a sun-lit home. He recognized it immediately—it was his father's house.

"1…2…3…1…2…3" a woman was counting behind him, her voice full of laughter. His throat caught as he turned.

"Mom?"

There she was, looking just as healthy and beautiful as he remembered her. She was stooped over, laughing at a small child who was trying his hardest to dance with her.

" _No,_ Cole…the waltz is a box, not a pretzel! Try counting with me…"

"Mom?!" Cole said it louder, but she couldn't hear him. It was like he was a ghost again.

 _Gee…thanks a lot, Dragon. This is making me feel loads better._

" _Wel-come!"_

Cole's mom stopped dancing and looked up at the door.

"Well, aren't you lucky, saved by the bell! Why don't you go finally put those _toys_ in order in your bedroom while I see who it is?!" she said, giving him a little tickle. Child Cole squealed, against both the room-cleaning order and the tickling.

"Go on, you." She said with a laugh, and then turned to answer the door. Instead of scurrying to his room, however, little Cole snuck under a nearby table and peeked out from beneath the tablecloth. Their home rarely got any visitors…he wasn't about to miss this!

His mother opened the door and stiffened immediately. A man pushed himself into the doorway.

"Midas…what…what are you…"

The man was dressed in gray metals, his face scruffy and gaunt. He smiled at Cole's mother as he forced himself into their home. His eyes were wild, and little Cole shrank back.

"Hello, Bev. Can't a man visit his own sister?"

Bev glared at him, her shock at his visit turning to whispered anger.

"Midas, you can't _be_ here… if Lou knew…."

"So I take it he's not home? Good. I never could stand that man." He walked around the room, seeming to be looking for something.

Little Cole glared from beneath the tablecloth. How dare this man talk about his father that way?

Bev planted herself in front of the man called Midas, blocking him from continuing to the rest of the house.

"Midas, you were banished for a reason. You need to leave… _now."_

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Bev…" He tried to side-step her to get to the hallway behind her. She pushed back against him.

"You betrayed your friends…you betrayed _Ninjago._ You have no place here anymore. Get out of my home."

He looked at her with a pained expression.

"It's been a long 15 years, Bev. Is it so wrong for me to want to visit my family? To meet my nephew?"

Something in his tone caused Bev to shudder.

"Yes…you can't have anything to do with him…now _leave."_

Midas's face grew hard as he pushed her out of the way.

"I told you, I can't. Where is he, Bev?"

"He's _not here!"_ She had grabbed his arm to pull him away, but he turned and grabbed her wrist and yanked her close.

"Oh, I know he's here…I heard you talking to him before I rang. Now why don't you call him down here to meet me?" His voice was low and soft; Cole shrank further behind the tablecloth. This man scared him.

She looked at his face and realization dawned on her.

"You're trying to give him that _curse…_ " she nearly spat. "You're trying to make him like you!"

"I don't have any kids of my own Bev. Being banished for the last 15 years made sure of that."

She yanked her wrist out of his grasp, her voice rising.

"Find somebody else…you can't have Cole…"

"Cole? Is that what you named him?" He chuckled. "How fitting."

"I'll never let you pass your _curse_ on to him!"

"It's not a _curse,_ Beverly!" His voice was rising as well. "It's an Elemental Power. And I can't choose somebody else because the Element already chose _him!"_

"You're a LIAR… a liar and a _Traitor!"_

"Do you really think I would have come here otherwise?!" He grabbed both of her wrists, and was shaking her a little. Cole was frozen under the tablecloth. "You think I would risk my neck in this town where everyone could recognize me if the element hadn't been _dragging_ me to this house ever since he was born 5 years ago?! It's the kid's destiny, Bev…."

She had started to cry. "I won't allow it…"

"What would _you_ have him do? Become a little performer, huh? Tap dance the rest of his life away?! You _can't_ deny him his destiny— the next generation of Elemental Masters is already coming forward. Even the Ice Master's found someone to…"

"That power _ruined you_ Midas!" Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "I will not let it ruin my son."

He just shook his head, eyes cold.

"Call him down here."

" _No."_

He let go of her wrists and stepped around her again.

"Then I'll go find him myself."

She threw herself at him with the fury of a mother, but she was no match for his strength. He shoved her away harder than he meant to and she slammed into the wall and then hit the floor.

" _Leave my Mom Alone!"_ Cole's fear vanished as the enraged child flew out from under the tablecloth. Both Bev and Midas looked at him in shock.

Midas recovered first.

"Easy…easy partner…" he approached slowly, and Cole raised both fists.

"I'll…I'll _fight_ you…." he said, trying to sound menacing.

" _NO_ , _Cole! Run!"_ Bev was still dazed from getting slammed into the wall, but she tried to get up and get to her son.

"I don't want to fight you, kid…" Midas spoke softly as he reached for him. Cole was scared…he wanted to flee but something kept him glued to the spot. "I just want to talk with you…"

His placed his hand gently on Cole's little head, and suddenly the child's eyes glazed over.

"Cole _NO!"_

Midas's eyes were closed as aura went out of him, travelling down his arm and into the small boy. After a few moments Cole collapsed into his mother's arms as she reached him too late. Midas's whole figure seemed to sag and he let out a haggard sigh.

"I'm sorry, Bev. But it had to be like this." He pulled himself up and headed for the door, seeming to be a much older man than the one who had arrived minutes before.

Bev cried and rocked her son, certain now that he was doomed to follow in the path of her brother. After a minute, Cole woke up and blinked up at her.

"Mom? Why are you crying?"

Bev closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down, hastily wiping a hand across her eyes.

"It's nothing… um….what do you remember last, honey?"

Cole's little face scrunched in concentration. "Um….we….were dancing?" He looked up at her again, trying to see if he was right. He wasn't sure why dancing would make his mother cry though. "Did I do it wrong?"

" _No…_ no…of course not, honey." She gave him a shaky smile. "You were just fine."

He sat up and gave her a hug, and she held him closely.

"Cole…I need you to promise me something…"

"Ok."

She pulled him back and looked him in the eyes. He returned her look with seriousness rare in a five year old.

"You have a good heart Cole…promise me…promise me you will always listen to it. No matter what goes on around you, I need you to always fight to do the right thing."

He searched her face, his small mind unable to figure out where this was stemming from. But he nodded solemnly.

"Ok, Mom." She pulled him into a hug again as the scene faded. Cole was once again left in the void of blackness, feeling like he had just been blindsided.

 _You were chosen, Cole…you and all of your friends. There are no accidents where Elemental Powers are involved._

The dragon had returned, but Cole didn't turn around to look at him.

"What was the point of showing me that?" He asked coldly. "So I could know that I was destined to be a failure, just like my Uncle?"

 _Despite your mother's fears…elemental powers are not a curse. It is not the power that corrupts, but greed. Think about the Element of Earth…_

 _"_ What about it?"

 _It is a unique element. It can be broken, crushed, torn apart….but at the end of the day it is still earth. People take it for granted, but that doesn't make it any less necessary._

"Gotta love ambiguous metaphors" Cole muttered. He felt like he was talking to Wu.

 _Midas grew tired of being broken down…he didn't understand a fundamental principal of earth; it is when it is broken that things can grow within it. He didn't like being taken for granted; he was desperate for prestige and Chen had promised to give it to him._

"So…what I'm hearing is that failing is apparently great and my Uncle was an Idiot." Cole said, annoyed. "Still not feeling a whole lot better…"

 _You were chosen to break the chain your Uncle began. You have not failed; true failure only comes when you turn against what is right, or when you give up. Of course…those could be seen as the same thing. You have a good heart Cole…you need to use it. Your friends need you._

He finally turned to look at the dragon.

"And if I mess it all up again?"

 _Then you brush yourself off. And you never quit._

He closed his eyes, lost in thought. He finally sighed.

"Alright. I mean, I can hardly mess things up any worse. Let's do this."

The dragon had a twinkle in its eye.

 _Are you willing to…_

"Pay the price? Thought you'd never ask."

 _ **43**_

The Theater Group had been able to keep the S.O.G off the stage, and Ed finally suggested that they turn it back into a bus to make it easier to get away if and when Ronin ever came back. The junkyard owner waited in the Driver's seat while Dareth and Lou moved S.O.G bikes out of their get-away path.

"Ooo, I think I see him!" Edna called out. She had found a wrench and was making herself busy by loosening key components of some of the motorcycles. She figured if they needed a quick get-away, it would help to not have a bunch bikes available for the chase.

Ronin came bursting out of the doors, the four teenagers close behind.

"START THE ENGINE!" the thief roared, and Ed quickly turned the key. Dareth, Lou, and Edna jumped into the bus and helped pull the five renegades in as Ed started moving the large automobile. The S.O.G had started pouring out of the building, heading for them.

"Where on earth did you get this?" Nya asked, studying the bus skeptically. She took in the large "NINJAGO'S BEST TRAVELING THEATER" sign. "Ronin…did you rob a circus or something?"

"I don't really feel like talking about it," Ronin growled, looking out the window at the bikers that had started the chase. "Besides, it looks like we have more pressing problems…"

"We're never going to make it to the Samauri X cave if we can't shake them," Lloyd pointed out, watching the approaching bikes from another window. He blinked in surprise as several of the bikes seemed to suddenly fall apart, the riders tumbling on the road.

"Well, Ronin, I guess it's time we reveal our little surprise, eh?" Ed called from the front of the bus. Dareth looked at the thief, who was removing his mask and cape.

"Surprise? What surprise?"

"This one." Ronin pulled a few levers and a section of each side of the bus lifted up to reveal seats attached to large laser guns. Dareth looked out the window in amazement.

"WOAH! When did you have time to do that? I call dibs on one of em!"

Lou looked a little disgusted. "You had guns on here this whole time? Why not use them back in Jamaniki village?"

"Ed hadn't finished configuring them. Besides, you were the one who said not to blow our cover…'the show must go on' or something like that…"

"Wait, you guys were in Jamaniki village?" Nya cut in, trying to wrap her head around everything. She was choosing to just ignore the random costume that Dareth was still wearing.

"Did you see my…did you see Lord Garmadon?" Lloyd wanted to know. Ronin shrugged.

"No…not in person. Just that giant purple landmass and a bunch of S.O.G goons, really. They left the villagers alone after you gave yourself up."

Lloyd nodded absently. Where was his father? No one had seen him since…

"WAHOOO!" Everyone looked over to see Dareth in one of the seats, having a hey-day as he blasted at the oncoming bikers. Ed took a swift turn and the brown ninja nearly flew out of his seat.

"SEATBELT, Dareth!" Ronin called in disgust out the window. He shook his head and turned back to the group. "So, anyone want to get out there and help him?"

"OH yeah!" Nya called. She climbed up a ladder to the roof exit of the bus and made her way to the other seat. Soon she had joined Dareth in attacking the relentless bikers.

After boarding the bus, P.I.X.A.L had taken a seat on one of the benches, looking at the ground. Now that they had made it out of the tower, the guilt had hit ten-fold. How could she have left Borg there? Surely there had to have been some way to get him out safely. She swallowed as the scene played from her memory; chaos consisting of robots and goons seemed to slow as the inventor toppled from his wheelchair…

"You ok?" Skylor took a seat next to P.I.X.A.L, but the android didn't look up.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Skylor listened to the conversations going on around them.

"Logically, there was no way we could have gotten him out…"

The redhead looked over as P.I.X.A.L began talking, eyes still on the ground.

"But…I still _feel_ like I should have done more. I should have stayed there with him, at least…"

Skylor wasn't sure what to say. She didn't actually know P.I.X.A.L all that well; in fact, all she really knew about her was that her father had taken her apart deep below their island fortress. Somehow, the ninja had gotten P.I.X.A.L out, but Skylor had never really met her personally until that night on the beach. How exactly does one comfort a robot?

"We couldn't have gotten out of there without him." Skylor tried. "He knew the risks…he was willing to do it so you could get out safe. And you did…"

"But what is the point of staying safe if it just means that others have to get hurt?" P.I.X.A.L asked, suddenly frustrated. She had already lost Zane…and now she had lost Borg too. Both times there was something more she could have done to help, but she had failed.

"Ok…less chatting, more attacking. We gotta lose the S.O.G if we're ever gonna make it out of here alive." Ronin cut in. P.I.X.A.L stood immediately, never one to turn down an opportunity to be useful. Skylor watched her head to a window and pull out her bow. The redhead sighed and pulled out her crossbow. She was grateful to be part of a team again…a team for _good._ But she also couldn't help but feel that she didn't quite belong; she didn't have any of the background that the rest of the team did. She looked around the bus at the older adults who were working with the ninja that they had known and been teamed up with for years. What kind of background did she have? One time she had helped the ninja defeat her father, but all she seemed to be able to offer besides that was a place to sleep and train and some good food. She huffed in annoyance and shot the tires of the approaching motorcyclists, causing the riders to flip off onto the concrete. Now she couldn't offer any of those things anymore.

Ed made a few more crazy turns before they were out of the city entirely. More S.O.G were following as they drove down the long, desert road, including an angry looking Killow in his large bike and a deranged-as-ever Ultra Violet.

"All this blasting is getting us nowhere," Lou said, irritated as he watched the S.O.G leaders gain on the bus. "We need to think outside of the box…"

"Well, what do _you_ suggest, twinkle-toes?" Ronin asked grumpily as he threw ninja darts out the window.

Up in her seat, a lightbulb went off in Nya's mind.

"MR. WALKER!" she yelled, and the junkyard owner stuck his head out the driving seat window.

"What is it, Nya?" he called back. She turned to look at him.

"Turn right up here! Onto the dirt path!"

Ed was a little confused at the request, but he didn't question it.

"Okie-Dokie!" He called, veering right. They headed down a dirt path with rock formations on either side. The bikes turned a few seconds later. Ronin furrowed his brow inside the bus; he hoped Nya knew what she was doing- otherwise she could get them trapped in here.

"Man, I hope this works…" Nya muttered, and then closed her eyes and focused her elemental power. Seconds later she opened them and yelled as she fired two blasts of water at the ground, directly behind the back wheels of the bus. Soon there was a long stretch of water-logged dirt behind them; the S.O.G yelled out and cursed as their bikes hit the mud. Some of the bikes were able to sluggishly move forward, but most spun out in the muck Nya had created.

"Get out of the way!" Killow bellowed, his own bike unable to get through the bikes piling up in front of him. He revved his own engine harder, but only succeeded in burying his bike further in the mud. He glared at the back of the disappearing bus. "We'll follow them on foot!"

 _Keyda_

Keyda sat against the wall of her prison, her head buried in her arms. She breathed slowly, trying to reconnect with the apathy and numbness that she had lived in for years.

But she couldn't do it. Every time she closed her eyes, he was right there. It was infuriating.

 _"…If there's anything that I can do…"_

 _"You can die a slow and painful death."_

Her head snapped up and she pounded it with her fists.

" _Forget him Keyda…FORGET."_

But she couldn't…memories from the last few days were drowning her. The look on Zane's face as he talked about their home. The small child winking as she laughed. The way they could all be so happy as they sat together around a fire in the middle of nowhere while the Baron plotted their death.

And the Idiot…he was everywhere. Getting thrown from a dragon…rubbing his hand through his hair…Yelling…smiling…screaming…laughing. Lying in the dirt…not breathing.

 _"I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE!"_ the aura of hatred continued to flow off of her as she shook her head violently against the barrage.

She HATED him…she hated him because he had done this to her. She hated him because when she thought of him something inside felt broken. Everything was his fault…. _Everything._

But deep down she knew that it wasn't her life that had been ruined the day their paths had crossed. The Baron would have ruined her life regardless. No…it turned out it was Cole who would lose everything because of _her…_

The Aura continued to pour off of her as she shook and yelled. As much hate as she felt towards him, it was nothing compared to the hate she felt for herself.

 _ **44**_

"Maybe we could have Zane do a hologram of me while I escape and look for Cole, and the Baron would never know…" Jay tried, determined to find a solution to their problem.

"That would never work, and you know it. FACE it Jay, there's nothing we can do. We don't know where he is and it isn't worth the risk…" Kai was sitting on the wall, annoyed with having to watch his friend pace.

"Well, here I thought ninja never _quit…"_

"Well _I_ for one don't want to be the reason that Cole has to be put through anything else…"

"Just sitting here doing _nothing_ sure isn't helping him either!" Jay argued. "Tell him Zane!"

Zane was sitting with his eyes closed in the corner of the cell. He had been like that for a while and didn't even seem to notice his fighting friends.

" _You were built to protect those who cannot protect themselves…"_

 _"C'mon…you're a nindroid; you can override this!"_

" _You spoke of brotherhood…DOES THIS LOOK LIKE BROTHERHOOD TO YOU?"_

Jay looked at his nindroid friend and sighed. "Earth to Zane…now is not the time for a nap!"

Zane finally opened his eyes. "I was not napping." His expression looked haunted.

"Look Zane…it's like Wu always says." Jay tried. "We cannot change the past, but we _do_ need to get cracking down on a plan for the future…"

Zane looked up and his expression caused Jay to trail off.

"You don't understand. I went against my _programming._ I should have been able to override the effects…I never should have reached the point…"

"Well, news flash Zane, we _all_ hurt Cole, Ok? We all were forced to do something that we never would have done otherwise…" Kai interjected, standing up. Zane cut him off.

"But I'm a NINDROID…I should have been able to…"

"Oh, of course…it makes perfect sense that Jay and I would be so easily overpowered and made to do something awful to our friend… but a _nindroid_ like yourself…" Kai spat back.

"That is not what I mean!" Zane had stood now as well, and he was getting angry. Jay threw himself between his two friends.

"THIS IS GETTING US NOWHERE!" He yelled, looking back and forth at them. "You know we are losing it when _I HAVE TO BE THE VOICE OF REASON!"_

A huge crash sounded suddenly, echoing all around them. The three ninja froze mid quarrel, looking around.

"What the heck…" Kai muttered. They heard a dragon roar.

Oni rushed past the cell, and seconds later the ninja could hear crashes and yells as they collided with whatever was headed their way.

Jay looked at Zane.

"Friend…or…"

The cell door exploded, taking a big chunk of the wall as well. The ninja leapt out of the way and a dragon pulled itself into the cell. They recognized it almost immediately.

"Cole's elemental dragon! Hey, do you know how we can find…" Jay's question trailed off as the dragon turned and the ninja caught sight of the figure draped over the partially-golden harness.

"COLE!" They all yelled at once and rushed to help their friend. Cole's eyes opened a bit as they pulled him down and looked him over. His eyes focused and he sighed in relief when he saw their concerned and _not-red_ eyes.

"Thank goodness…" he murmured.

An awkward silence fell as the excitement at finding Cole was replaced by an overall feeling of shame.

"Look, Cole…" Kai started, but Cole waved him off as he painfully tried to get to his feet.

"You can all grovel for my forgiveness later…" he stumbled and Jay and Zane grabbed his arms to support him. "Right now we all need to get out of here."

"Yeah, you're telling me…that Baron has something up his sleeve and I don't want to be around to find out." Jay said. Cole shook his head.

"Maybe…but mainly we just need to get back to Dragon Haven…my dragon is saying that because we attacked the fortress in an effort to break out…"

"…We have ushered in the start of the final battle." Zane finished, remembering what his friends had heard from their dragons. Cole nodded. Suddenly, Jay remembered something.

"Wait, COLE, we have to tell you about Keyda…"

Cole's expression grew more pained. "I'm not really in the mood Jay…"

"BUT SHE…"

"Jay, _Please…_ " Cole held his head like it hurt. "Can we just get out of here?" Jay looked over at Zane and Kai, who also felt like Cole should probably be caught up on everything that had gone down. But they could also hear the next wave of Oni crashing down the dungeon steps.

"Everyone on." Kai ordered, and the four ninja were able to climb aboard the dragon. Rather than go back out into the hall, the Dragon unleashed a blast that ripped through the roof of the cell. As it flew through the falling rocks it released another blast that took them through the wall and out into the night air.

 _Baron_

The Baron had been having a pretty good day up until the explosion. He was collecting a steady stream of Pure Hatred from broken-hearted Keyda, he was confident that he had the elemental outsiders right where he wanted them, not to mention he had destroyed any chance of the Dragon Master legend from coming true with the death of one of its four key people.

"I don't see why we don't just kill the rest of them outsiders." Heavy Metal said next to him. The Baron frowned slightly; he didn't appreciate his second in command trying to have his own ideas.

"It's true that we have been reconnected with the power of Hatred…but I'm not willing to merely bet on that alone in our battle with the dragons. The power of the Elements… as long as we have the outsiders, we can use them and turn the Dragon's greatest power against themselves."

"Ahhhh…" Heavy Metal tried to sound like he understood, but it was quite clear he didn't. How irritating it was to be surrounded by fools.

The explosion hit and seemed to rock the entire fortress. Now what on earth could that be….

A sudden thought hit the Baron, and he felt his fists clench.

"What exactly did you do with the outsider?" He turned to Heavy Metal, who was still looking shocked at the sound of the explosion.

"Heh? Oh, _him._ Figured I'd feed him to the beast in the catacombs…"

The Baron's fists clenched tighter.

"You mean to tell me that you threw an _Elemental Master_ in with the _Elemental Dragon_ that we have been keeping prisoner…"

Heavy Metal could tell he had done something wrong by the Baron's tone. He was starting to panic.

"Err…you know, he was _dead_ so…"

"You're sure?"

"Uh…"

More banging and explosions could be heard below them.

"You're absolutely _positive_ that he was dead..."

Heavy Metal didn't know what to say. The Baron turned to him, eyes looking cold and dead.

"I'm afraid you have thrown a great deal of my plans off, Heavy Metal…"

The masked Oni held both arms up in defense as the Baron pulled out a sword.

"Now…now _wait…"_

The ground below them disintegrated as the Earth Dragon exploded into the room. Heavy Metal screamed as he fell but the Baron was able to dodge out of the way. He turned as he landed just in time to see four figures on the back of the dragon as it blasted through the wall and into the night. And they all seemed very, very much alive.

 _Wu_

Wu was laying on the rock, trying to keep himself busy. It had been more than a day since the ninja left…which he tried to tell himself didn't mean anything. They were probably off looking for the last dragons now; that was surely what was taking so long.

Suddenly, something passed through the cavern, causing him to sit up and all the Dragons to roar to attention.

"What was that?" It felt like an explosion…but rather than something that was seen or heard, the disturbance was simply felt. The Elder Dragon looked at him, expression grim.

 _The Final Battle has begun._

 _Harumi_

Harumi pressed one hand against her temples, trying to stave off the headache that was forming.

"Don't worry…we'll find them!" Killow was saying from the other side of her Borg Watch, but she hung up on him without answering. How exactly does an army of bikers lose an _entire tour bus?_!

She sat back in her throne, eyeing the mess in her room with disgust. Robots still littered the ground and discarded weapons were strewn around as well.

Every time she caught those ninja, they managed to slip through the cracks. Just a few weeks ago they had stamped out half the force in one fell swoop…so why was it so hard to dig out the last of these weeds?

She took a deep breath and stood. She passed a large mirror on the way to the door. It had gotten hit in the fighting and she paused briefly to look at her multiple-reflection in the cracked glass. She smoothed her hair down and straightened her tunic and then left the room. As she traveled down the hallway, she tried to think of what she would say. Ever since they had taken over the city, Garmadon had locked himself in a room within the tower and said that he was not to be disturbed. She hadn't minded too much at first…she was confident in her ability to lead everyone on her own. Sure, she dropped his name now and again to really strike fear into people, but the truth was she was basically running everything without any input from the evil one.

After the day's troubles, however, she found herself rather irritated. Why should she have to do everything herself while she had a Lord of Darkness and Evil on her side? She had reached his door, which had purple aura spilling out the bottom of it. That much was usual….she raised an eyebrow. What was he even doing in there?

She debated whether to knock. If it was anybody else she would have breezed right in…but this was Lord Garmadon. Surely there was some kind of protocol here…

"Stop loitering by my door and just come in already." A voice called from inside. Harumi felt herself flush but as she entered her body language portrayed nothing but calm collection. Lord Garmadon was sitting in the middle of the room, seeming to be meditating. Purple aura poured off of him.

"What do you want?" He asked, eyes closed in concentration. His tone was nothing but respectful and Harumi relaxed a bit.

"My Lord…it's been two weeks since you destroyed the ninja…I was wondering if there was another phase to your plan…"

"Of course there is." the Dark One's eyes remained closed. Harumi waited for him to continue but he remained silent. She frowned.

"And…do you not think you should share it with _me?"_ she asked coolly, keeping her voice as respectful as ever. He sighed and opened his eyes, fixing the Empress with a crimson stare.

"Of course…I've been meaning to." his eyes suddenly seemed to be staring at something distant and he growled.

"How is he not gone already? It's been _two weeks…_ no one should be able to survive there for two weeks…"

Harumi was puzzled by this. "Who, my Lord? Are you speaking of Lloyd?" But the Evil Emperor had closed his eyes once again, muttering to himself as if lost in another world. Harumi wanted to scream in frustration, but she calmed herself. She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. If Lord Garmadon had a plan, she knew better than to question him. She would just have to be patient. Her fists clenched as she walked away; she supposed she was used to that.

 _ **45**_

The explosion threw Keyda onto her side. She looked around, but the room she was in was unharmed. Where had that come from?

A few minutes later the Baron entered the room. She looked at him in surprise; for the first time, he looked a bit…disgruntled.

"What was that?" she asked, her tone letting him know she thought he was the lowest form of scum on the earth. He merely gave her his customary smug smile, straightening his top hat.

"Nothing for you to worry about, of course."

Something was definitely up. He hurried to the end of the device and pulled out the container of purple material. His expression turned downright jovial as he saw that it had been filled.

"Ah…at last, something that went right." He said, almost caressing the small cylinder.

"What _is_ that?"

The Baron looked up with a twinkle in his eye.

"This, Keyda, is concentrated Hatred. It seems you have produced plenty, and just in time too."

"What are you talking about?"

The Baron was removing his gloves as he placed the cylinder on a nearby table.

"The final battle is upon us it seems. With this on our side, we will soon prevail." He opened the container long enough to toss his gloves in, then sealed it once again. He began a small chant, and Keyda watched in disgusted curiosity as the purple seemed to be absorbed into the gloves. Soon there was nothing left in the container but the two small garments. The Baron opened the lid once again and fished them out, pulling them onto his hands with a gasp. Keyda watched in horror as the Baron turned and bruise-colored orbs swirled around his hands.

"Oh yes…these will do nicely… and so much more convenient than a staff…" He went and replaced the cylinder at the end of the machine and then went to leave. At the last minute he turned back to look at Keyda.

"Oh, Keyda…if only I could trust you more. I would take you with me; such a powerful team we would make. But I am afraid I lack all confidence in the likely hood that you would obey me, so instead you must stay here. Try not to have too much fun…alright?"

He was gone before she even had the chance to reply.

 _Misako_

"I hope this works…" Misako muttered to herself, uncapping the vial she had brought with her. She was in the mask containment room, having her own battle of sorts with the clearstone cases while the others went to face off with Harumi. There was no way she was going to make it out of here lugging three heavy stone boxes; she was going to have to break in and get the masks themselves.

Nya had come up with a good plan…but Misako still hadn't been too sold on the idea. It seemed extremely risky, but Harumi had forced their hand.

She ran her hand along the clearstone case. It was the hardest material in Ninjago…she wondered how on earth Harumi had gotten ahold of so much of it. It was clear that these Masks were still needed for some unknown purpose; the self-proclaimed Empress had put in a lot of effort to protect them. However, even the strongest material had weaknesses.

The historian turned her attention to the edges of the box, where the slabs of clearstone were held together with a strong metal. She may not have a way to destroy the clearstone, but that edging she could do something about. She carefully poured the contents of the vial onto the metal edging on the three different cases. She waited a few minutes as the acid ate threw the metal, throwing off noxious fumes as it spit and hissed. Then she went in with a dagger, carefully prying off enough warped edging to remove one of the clearstone sides on each of the boxes. She took out the masks, studying each closely with a historian's eye to make sure they weren't fake. Luckily, it seemed that they were the real deal and she put each into her sack.

Suddenly, an alarm went off and she dropped the sack as she jumped with fright. Were they onto her, then? She could hear S.O.G running through the halls, but none of them seemed to be coming in here. She realized with a start that they must be heading to the throne room. She fought the urge to run there herself; though she considered herself a pretty good fighter, it was more important to get the masks out of the tower so that the whole plan wouldn't be for nothing. She just had to hope the teens could get themselves out of this mess. With any luck they already had.

With all the S.O.G heading to the throne room, she found that it wasn't too difficult to slip out of the tower. She took a back door and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as she headed back to Skylor's restaurant. As she walked she tried to push down the worry that was building up inside. They were fine. They were well trained…they could take care of themselves. Lloyd didn't need his mother rushing to his side to make everything better anymore.

Not that she had ever really been the rushing-to-his-side kind of mother, she thought guiltily. She found herself reflecting on her past as she walked with her head down through the streets of Ninjago City. She had always had a love of adventure, something that had drawn her to both her career choice and two remarkable brothers. Through the whirlwind of their young adult life, she had made a choice that had affected the rest of her life. She supposed that she thought she could change him. That perhaps she could be the key to undoing what had been done to him…that they could have a happy marriage and a happy family and achieve a good life despite everything against them.

She had actually thought that she had achieved that dream when Lloyd was born. Garmadon might have had evil running through his veins…but even all the love he had for her almost paled to the love he had for his son. She remembered the look on his face when he held Lloyd for the first time; there was so much happiness and fatherly pride that Misako had been sure that everything would work itself out perfectly.

However, in the end it wasn't enough. Everything was fine for a while…but then Garmadon's father passed away. It was as if his death had removed some barrier and the evil was suddenly allowed to run rampant within her husband. He went downhill very quickly and it wasn't long before Garmadon left his little family. That was when her dream had died. She heard later that he had gone to steal the golden weapons from Wu, and had gotten banished to the Underworld. She didn't allow herself to fall apart, however; she needed to stay strong to raise their son, whether he was around for it or not.

But the older Lloyd got, the more Misako picked up on something that didn't seem quite right. She wasn't sure what exactly it was that made her finally realize that her little son was going to be the Green Ninja. But once the idea took hold, she realized what that consequences would be for her already broken family.

Misako had reached the restaurant and went around the back, as if she were heading to dump the sack into the large trash bin. Instead, she moved the bin and entered the secret doorway down into the dojo. Nya still hadn't contacted her; the historian frowned. What could be taking so long?

She remembered the day she had dropped Lloyd off at the boarding school. He was so young at the time. She handed him over to the headmaster and touched his face one last time.

"I'll be back soon, Lloyd. You be a good boy now." Then she had turned and left him there.

She _had_ meant to be back soon…she had only planned on being gone for a year or two. But the research had taken so much longer and year after year she convinced herself that he was doing just fine at the boarding school. She could have left him with Wu…she knew that he would have taken good care of him. But ever since she had chosen Garmadon, Wu had become incredibly distant. She supposed it made sense why. Besides, her plan was to do everything she could to _stop_ Lloyd from becoming the Green Ninja and having to fight his father. She knew the second that Wu realized who her son was really meant to be he would start training him for his destiny.

The next thing she knew her little boy was all grown up, and had discovered his destiny despite everything she had done to try to prevent it. Misako walked over to the picture wall in the dojo, looking at her son with all of his friends and family. She sighed sadly, thinking of the life he had lead. Some people's children seemed to grow up too fast…and then there was _her_ son, who was literally forced to age quickly to face a destiny he had never asked for. Some people's children are left fatherless…and then there was her son, who had to watch his father be destroyed or corrupted countless times. Some people's children had their hearts broken for the first time…and then there was her son, who had his heart shattered by a psychopath who not only played with his feelings but killed his closest friends while forcing him to watch.

She sat heavily, the worry and guilt catching up with her. This was not the life that she wanted for Lloyd…but she had always believed that one could make the best of any situation. She had never given into doubt or fear…instead she had tried to live her life in a "the past is in the past" sort of way. But at times like these she couldn't help but wonder if at the end of the day, if her son would ever have any semblance of a happy life…

 _"Misako! Come in!"_

Nya's voice cut in through her communicator, pulling Misako from her thoughts.

"Yes…yes I'm here. Did you all make it out ok?"

 _"We're fine…I mean…there were a few bumps in the road but we're good now. We are on our way to the Samauri X cave. Can you meet us there with the masks?"_

"Of course…but why the…?"

 _"Skylor's identity has been compromised. The restaurant is no longer safe; in fact, you should stay as far away from it as possible…"_

Misako grabbed the sack and headed for the exit. She looked around in the ally for any sign of S.O.G, but it seemed like the only members of the gang here were the ones inside, happily enjoying some well cooked food.

"Alright, I'll see you soon." she said quietly into her communicator.

 _"Be careful Misako…the desert is crawling with S.O.G."_

Misako approached one of the bikes in front of the store and pulled the helmet on with a smile.

"Then I guess I'll just have to blend in…."

 _Baron_

The Iron Baron boarded a Dragon and was pleased when its rider seemed terrified. With no Heavy Metal, he would have had to pilot his own dragon. Oni Ancients forbid he would have to stoop _that_ low.

He was pleased to find that the hate magic could also be used to amplify his voice. He truly detested yelling…it was terribly undignified.

" _The Final Battle has Begun…we possess the means of breaking the enchantment on Dragon Haven. Oni….ON to VICTORY!"_

25


	11. Part 10

Nicki's Story

 _ **46**_

"There they are!" Jay cried, pointing at the two dragons which were still waiting in the place where they had dropped the ninja off the day before. The Earth dragon landed with a thud. Cole looked over and frowned.

"Wait…Zane, where's your dragon?"

The other three ninja all looked at each other.

"Actually…I have yet to discover my dragon."

Cole groaned. He had known it wouldn't take long before everything fell apart.

"The Dragon at Dragon Haven knew where the fire one was, but not the ice or the earth dragon." Jay explained. "But I'm sure Zane will find his eventually…"

 _The final battle has begun…we must return to Dragon Haven._ The dragons spoke simultaneously.

"But we have to find Zane's dragon first…" Jay complained to his.

"We don't even know where to start." Kai pointed out. "We better just go back and regroup."

Cole looked over at Zane, who seemed to be studying the three dragons, lost in thought.

"Hey, Zane…we could really use some of your killer nindroid reasoning just about now." He said quietly. Zane winced and Cole was confused until he realized what his wording implied.

"Look, I didn't mean…"

"I am picking up on the dragon's elemental frequencies." Zane cut him off. "Each seems part of a full wavelength…doing some light processing I believe I have discovered what the missing frequency is.

Jay and Kai looked over blankly.

"So that means…"Kai prompted.

"I can use the missing frequency to trace the final dragon." Zane said. The ninja looked at each other.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Cole said. "But one of us will have to go with you since you don't have your own dragon."

Zane wouldn't look at him, and Kai still looked irritated. Jay took one look at his three friends and raised his hand.

"Hey, I can take Zane! Haha…why not?"

"Then Cole and I will head back to Dragon Haven." Kai added. He looked over at Cole. "Are you going to be able to ride your dragon on your own?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Please…I was always the best dragon rider and you know it." His friends took comfort in the fact that he could still joke.

Zane boarded Jay's dragon and started his scanner, already searching out the missing frequency. He didn't turn with Jay to wave goodbye to the other ninja.

 _Keyda_

Keyda refused to sit any longer. Something was going on and she couldn't just sit in self-pity; she had to get out of here. She studied her prison, looking for any weak points. But the glass remained as strong as ever and she pounded the nearby wall with raw hands. A wisp of purple left them again, and she stopped pounding. She didn't want to give the Baron any more power than she already had. She found herself watching the wisp and suddenly noticed that as it went into the tube, a bit of it leaked out the side into the outside room. Her heart started beating faster as she realized that the tube must have been jarred during that explosion; it must not be attached that securely. But how would she get up there?

She looked down at her hands, and willed the orbs to form. As they did, she looked up at the tube and positioned herself. She crouched, took a deep breath, and then blasted the power downward while leaping into the air. It actually gave her _more_ of a boost she wanted and she slammed into the tube, barely able to throw her feet out in the small neck where tube met chamber. It stopped her fall and she glanced down, glad she wasn't right back to where she had started. She grunted as she pushed on the metal tube. With a little added force from her purple power, she managed to disconnect it from the chamber and slip out. She hit the ground and nearly fell over but managed to right herself. She tore out of the room and began running down the hall.

The whole fortress seemed deserted. She paused as she noticed a huge hole in the wall. _That_ was certainly new. She figured it was connected to the earlier explosion, but what on earth had happened?

 _"...ON to VICTORY!..."_ She looked out the hole and saw the entire Oni army marching; the speedier Dragon Riders were already leagues away while the foot-soldiers were marching at a more even pace. They were headed to Dragon Haven… to war.

She considered escaping now, running off somewhere to live alone, safe from the Baron. But she knew that she would never truly be safe until he was dead. Her eyes and fists pulsated purple as she came to a decision.

 _Survivors_

"It's good to be back…it's been so long since I've been here," Nya said, looking around the Samauri-X cave. All the vehicles she had left seemed to still be here…in fact, there were a few that she didn't recognize. She turned to Ronin. "Though…it's hardly a _secret lair_ when everybody seems to know about it now…"

"Let's just hope that Harumi isn't included in that," Lloyd added. He felt a weird pang of nostalgia being here…the last time he had been here had been with his father. Back when he had been _good._ It felt so long ago.

"So, what's the plan?" Skylor said, arms folded. She didn't really feel like spending any more time sitting around.

"I told Misako where to meet us. She has the masks." Nya said. She looked down at her communicator. "She should be here soon."

"But we could still come up with a plan in the meantime," Skylor pressed, taking a seat on the hood of a nearby vehicle. Nya frowned at the red-head's persistence.

"She's got a point there," Lloyd said, thinking. "Let's say my Mom gets here fine with the masks. What's our next step?"

"Oooo…" Dareth said, raising his hand like an eager student. "What if we _destroy_ them? That'll put a damper on 'her majesty's' plans…" Ronin turned and walked away to remove himself from the situation and thus spare Dareth getting smacked on the back of the head.

"We were already planning on it, Dareth…" Nya replied, trying to hide her amused smile. "But the question is _how?"_

"There is nothing in my database on how to destroy the Oni masks," P.I.X.A.L walked over to join the other musing teens. "But considering what Misako said about Dragon and Oni power, it will take a large amount of Dragon-power to destroy the masks."

"Are we sure we want to destroy them?" It was Skylor who spoke up, and the others turned to her in surprise. "I mean, from what you guys have said about these things, they're pretty powerful. Are we sure we don't want to _use_ them? That could give us a much needed advantage over Harumi,"

"Not a chance," Nya cut in, a little snappily. "These things are _evil…_ we need to destroy them." Skylor blinked at the water ninja's moody reply.

"Ok…it was just an _idea…"_

"I see where you're coming from, Skylor," Lloyd cut in. He wasn't really sure what was going on but they didn't really have time to be getting on each other's nerves. "But my mom said that the only way for us to get the balance back into place was to destroy the masks. So that's really our best course of action."

"Lloyd…" P.I.X.A.L frowned, remembering something. "What was it that Borg said to you in the tower?" her voice caught a little at the mention of her creator.

Lloyd tried to remember.

"That's right…he mentioned something about how to destroy them. Something about a "Golden Hope" that was hidden away,"

"Golden hope? Like…like your golden powers?" Nya asked. It made sense to her. Lloyd frowned. From the story that Mistake had told him about the Dragon and the Oni, it seemed logical that his Golden powers were dragon related. After all, he could form a Golden Dragon when he used to have them.

"I guess…maybe. And they certainly do seem to be hidden away at the moment…"

"But how do we get those back?" Skylor asked. Something stirred deep down; if there was a way to get elemental power back, she would sure like to know what it was.

"I am not sure Borg was talking about your powers, Lloyd," P.I.X.A.L cut in. "In fact, I am not actually sure he is aware that your powers are even missing. Is there something else that he could be referring to?"

Lloyd thought for a few minutes more. Something nagged at the back of his mind; some distant memory about something golden and Borg…

All at once it hit him. "The Golden Armor!" he said suddenly, and the others looked at him in surprise.

"The Armor the Overlord used?" Nya asked, and the Green Ninja nodded emphatically.

"That must be what Borg was talking about; it's made out of the Elemental Weapons, which have a direct tie to the First Spinjitzu Master. He probably used Dragon Power to make them…I'm sure he didn't use Oni power at least. Borg was the one who hid them; besides him, Wu and I are the only ones that know where it is."

"Which is _where_ , exactly?" Dareth asked.

Lloyd faced the team.

"It's in Hiroshi's labyrinth. Once my mom gets here…that's where we're going."

 _Wu_

The Elder Dragon roared his final instructions while Wu watched from the side. The ninja still had not returned, and we was beginning to feel more than a little anxious. The dragon turned his attention to the child.

 _The time has come; it is time to leave and protect our home._

Wu looked up at him with a determined expression.

"I will wait here for my companions. Then we shall join you."

The dragon shook its head, and then reached for the child. Wu scampered away.

 _You will be coming with us._

Wu darted away as he struck out once again.

"No…I must wait for them to return…" He suddenly found himself flying through the air, the result of a blast the dragon had sent at him. The Elder Dragon caught him soundly in one claw, its talons ensnaring the child like the bars of a cage.

"Let me go!" Wu said, using his most commanding voice. The Dragon only chuckled.

 _We have waited too long for the return of the child…we will be needing your help to win this war._

With that, the dragons spread their wings and launched out of the cavern.

 _ **47**_

"So…find anything yet?" Jay asked for the tenth time. Zane sighed. He was starting to wish he had a different travelling companion after all. He was opening his mouth to tell Jay to stop talking so he could concentrate when an alarm sounded from his scanner.

"Actually…yes…" Zane said, surprised.

" _Finally._ " Jay muttered. He had been starting to wish he hadn't volunteered for this assignment. They had been flying for nearly 3 hours and he had become both bored and anxious. It didn't help that Zane was obviously not in a talking mood.

Jay flew his dragon where Zane directed, and they landed in an open area. Jay looked around, confused.

"I would have thought there would be some kind of rock formation around…where do you think he's hiding?"

"I am not sure…according to my scanner the frequency is coming from right here…" Zane said, just as puzzled.

 _Ah…welcome, Master of Ice. I have been expecting you._

Zane whirled around, trying to find where the voice was coming from. Jay noticed his reaction.

"Do you hear it? Where is _…"_

Jay didn't get a chance to finish his thought because the ground dissolved beneath them and they both fell into the darkness below. They hit ice and slid down, further into the gloom. Zane tried to get his flashlight to work while Jay screamed hysterically next to him. Then suddenly they were free-falling once again.

Zane hit the icy ground with a grimace. He had to shut down his scanner , which was going crazy.

"Jay?" He looked around for his friend, turning on his flashlight capabilities. "Are you alright?"

He couldn't locate his friend. He frowned; surely he should at least be able to _hear_ him…

 _Welcome._

Zane looked around again. Through all the ice he could make out something moving…but the dragon blended well and the light reflected off of everything and made it hard to actually pin point where the movement had come from.

"Where is my friend?"

 _This is the puzzle you have been expecting, is it not? You've waited all this time to figure out our little secrets. Are you ready to begin?_

 _"_ Begin what? I need to know where Jay is." Something moved behind him, and he turned to find only ice.

 _In due time Master of Ice. First I have some riddles…some questions you can answer for me…_

Zane frowned. "I already know that you guardians target our weaknesses."

 _Oh?_

"It was not hard to figure out; Jay hates being alone almost as much as cryptic messages, and Kai struggles both with accepting help and backing down from a fight…"

 _Very good…so what are_ your _weaknesses? Have you already figured it out?_

Something above him scraped, and bits of Ice rained down. Once again, there was no dragon that he could see.

"You will try to ensnare me with logic…" Zane wished that they could get through with this part of the test. He needed to find Jay and get back to help his friends.

 _Perhaps in a way…are you ready for our game of wits, then?_

"If I must," Zane gave up searching and sat on the ground. "What is your first question?"

 _Is Ice strong…or is it weak?_

Zane frowned. What kind of question was that?

"It depends on the situation."

 _Meaning?_

"Thin Ice covering a pool can be viewed as weak, as it is easily broken with pressure. But Ice can also split trees, roads, and even concrete as it freezes in cracks and fissures. So it can logically be argued that ice is both strong and weak, depending on the circumstances."

 _Indeed._

"Was that it then?"

 _No…next question: Why did you hurt your friend?_

"Wha…what?" Zane stuttered, blindsided.

 _Your friend, yesterday. You allowed yourself to be controlled and he was forced to face the consequence of your actions._

"That…that was not…"

 _You have capabilities that others do not. Why didn't these capabilities save your friend? Why did you allow yourself to be controlled?_

"I did not…I do not know…" He had stood again, trying in vain to find the source of the haunting voice.

 _If you were faced with a situation, and it was between saving yourself or finding the harness-which could save everyone else-which would you choose?_

"The harness." Zane said, more sure of this answer.

 _I assumed as much…but what if it was between saving your_ friend _and finding the harness?_

Light suddenly flooded the cavern and Zane stepped back in surprise. The Dragon was attached to the wall of ice with its claws, with its neck swiveled to look at Zane. Trapped in one of its clawed feet was an unconscious figure in blue.

"Let him go!" Zane said immediately, his hands crackling with ice. But the Dragon shook its head.

 _We are not finished with our little game of riddles, Master of Ice. You must answer the question. Would you choose to save this single friend, or collect the one thing that stands in the way of the destruction of the rest of your companions?_

"I…I cannot…"

 _Come now…your friend does not have all day…_

Zane watched in horror as Jay appeared to slowly be freezing; ice was travelling up his legs.

 _"Stop!"_ he fired his ice, but the dragon merely swiped his tail through the beam, breaking the blast into millions of frozen particles.

 _You are a reasonable nindroid, Zane. Can you not solve the problem with logic?_

"I am done with this game…let him go!"

 _You do not get to finish the game early…you must first answer the question. What is the right answer?_

The ice had reached Jay's torso.

"Your question is unanswerable…and this is between you and me. Why will you not leave him out of it?" Zane's voice had taken on a tone of desperation.

 _Surely you can see which option will do more good…why is it so hard for you to choose the logical answer?_

Ice crept up Jay's neck, reaching his face.

" _THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER._ " Zane closed his eyes, his yell echoing in the cavern. He collapsed to his knees. "There is no right answer…."

 _Correct._

Zane looked up to see the Dragon seated calmly in front of him. Jay was lying on the ice nearby, thoroughly thawed and snoring softly.

"I…I do not understand…"

 _Master of Ice…you have all the reasoning powers of the best machines. Yet, there is a deeper level to you. Unlike many robots, you possess feelings and emotions. But just as ice is both strong and weak, these traits can make you stronger or more vulnerable. They make it hard to think in cold logic at all times, but they also give you the determination to fight for what is right._

 _You have always been willing to make risky choices when it is only yourself on the line. It is no secret you would be willing to die for your friends. But part of fighting for what is right is fighting on a team, and there will be times when sacrifices will be required of others. You cannot hold yourself to an impossible standard because you possess different strengths than your companions, for you also possess weaknesses. Though in the past your decisions and even mistakes have mainly only affected you, there are times when others will bear the penalties. Indeed…even the right decisions made with correct assumptions will have unexpected consequences._

Zane looked at the ground.

"I think I understand." he said quietly.

 _Now is not the time to get stuck in your head. The final battle has begun, and it is time to usher in the reign of the true Dragon Master. So Master of Ice…are you willing to pay the price?_

Zane didn't speak up right away. After a moment he looked the dragon in the eye.

"Are you?"

The Dragon tilted its head, confused.

"Why bind us to an unknown promise? Are you and all of Dragon kind prepared to pay the price if we do _not_ agree to your terms? Why not just give us the harness; it is obvious that the fate of your kind rests on it."

 _It is not that simple…we are bound by an ancient promise._

"What promise? Why not tell me the price?"

 _I cannot. It is true that if you refuse to agree to the price, we are all doomed. Yet the harness will not be revealed without it._

Zane sat, processing that information. Jay let out a louder snore and rolled over. The nindroid sighed.

"Well…then I am willing to pay the price."

 _ **48**_

The team waited anxiously for Misako to arrive. Nya tried not to think about what would happen if the S.O.G caught onto the historian's tail and followed her here. On that train of thought, she went over to the computer system and looked into the cave's defense systems. Everything seemed to be up and running if they needed it…

"Where's the faith? That's one of the first things I fixed up when I moved into this joint."

Nya shot Ronin a withering look, but the thief was reclining with his hat pulled over his face, pretending to be napping. She walked over, arms folded.

"So…are you going to actually tell me what the heck you've been up to this last week?"

Ronin grunted under his hat. "I don't want to talk about it…remember?"

She snatched the hat off his face and he looked up with raised eyebrows. "Well _someone's_ in a bad mood…" he muttered.

"I am _not!"_ she snapped. "And _you're_ one to talk about bad moods. I just want you to catch me up on some things. Like where you got that circus bus and why on earth you were in Jamaniki village!"

Ronin sighed, annoyed. "Look, it wasn't _my_ hair-brained idea to dress up and put on little performances all over Ninjago…" Nya blinked in surprise as he continued. "So if you wanna talk to someone about it, he's your guy," He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Lou, who was busy talking to Ed and Edna about something. The thief grabbed his hat back and resumed his previous position.

Nya looked over at Lou, feeling a little awkward. The last time she had talked to him she had been a little…aggressive, and might have accused him of not caring about his recently departed son. Suddenly, Ronin tilted his hat back and looked at her slyly.

"But as long as we're asking the hard questions…what's your deal with the redhead?"

Nya flushed. "Deal? There's no _deal…_ "

"Uh huh…sure. I know you better than that Nya." he smirked. "She's quite the strong, independent woman…are you annoyed that she's stealing your image or something?"

Nya rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Ronin."

"Hmmm…" He studied her closely and she resisted the urge to punch him. "Maybe it has something to do with your brother…"

"Nope." She smacked his hat back down over his eyes. "There's really nothing going on, Ronin. Though I'm beginning to see why _you're_ always in trouble; you stick your nose where it doesn't belong and read too much into what _isn't really there._ "

Ronin put his hands up in defeat, hat still covering his face. "Alright, fine. You don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it…"

She stormed away, too irritated to even notice him chuckling under his hat. Which was just as well; if she had heard him she probably would have hurt him.

"Misako is approaching!" P.I.X.A.L called from the computer system. The teens and Dareth gathered around the system.

"Is she alone?" Nya asked, looking at the screen.

"It appears so…" the droid answered, and everyone found themselves watching the entrance anxiously. After a few minutes it opened and someone rode in on an S.O.G bike with a sack over her back.

"You made it!" Lloyd said, going over to give his mother a hug.

"Were you followed?" Nya asked quickly. The historian shook her head.

"No…I don't think so. And I have the masks." She took off her sack and pulled out the three different colored masks. Everyone grew quiet as they studied them; even Ronin pulled up his hat to get a better look from a few yards away.

"Well…at least we know where to go with them…" Lloyd said, and his mother looked up quizzically. They filled her in on the plan and she found herself nodding.

"Who all is going, then?" she asked, causing Lloyd and Nya to look at each other.

"Errr…the smaller the group, the less likely we'll be noticed." Lloyd finally said.

"Yeah…" Nya said, feeling a little awkward as she saw Ed and Edna's faces fall a little.

"So I take it just you four?" Misako said with a knowing smile.

"Woah now…you can't say that you're leaving the Brown Ninja behind!" Dareth said, cutting in.

"Dareth…" Nya said, trying to decide how to best tell him that he was definitely _not_ coming on their covert mission of utmost importance. "What we really need is for you to stay behind and be our eyes here on the ground, per say…" the look of disappointment in his eyes caused her to wince.

"Oh…yeah, whatever you need, Nya…"

"It's just that we need someone we can trust to be in charge here…" she blurted, and everyone looked over at her in surprise. Dareth perked up.

"In _charge_ you say…."

"Oh, you did _not_ just say that…" Ronin groaned from his spot. As if Dareth wasn't insufferable enough.

"Errr…yeah…" Nya said, and then turned to change the subject. "Meanwhile, Lloyd, Pix, Skylor, and I will take those to Haroshi's labyrinth and track down where Borg is keeping the armor."

"I thought you said you knew where it was," Misako turned to Lloyd, who smiled sheepishly.

"Well…I _basically_ know where it is…I can get us close. From there Pix should be able to guide us; she was created by Borg and will hopefully be able to pinpoint the location once we get there."

P.I.X.A.L looked down at the mention of Borg, and Skylor put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Sounds like a lot of work…and a lot of _'hopefully'_ s," Ronin had gotten up to join the circle. "Seeing the masks in person…I have to admit I agree with the redhead. Why not just use them ourselves?"

"The _redhead_?" Skylor asked dryly, raising an eyebrow. Nya whirled on Ronin.

" _Don't you even start…_ " she hissed.

"Destroying the masks really is the only option," Misako cut in. She looked at the four teens in front of her with a sudden pang. Why was it that the younger generation always had to be in charge of fixing all the world's mistakes? She turned to Lloyd.

"Promise me you'll be careful…"

The Green Ninja smiled tightly.

"When am I not?"

 _Cole_

Cole grit his teeth and focused on staying seated on his dragon. Despite his cocky answer to Kai, he was still feeling pretty miserable and had never wished more for a comfortable bed. He kept almost drifting off to sleep and had to keep shaking himself to stay awake. It worked because each shake reminded him of all the places in his body that _hurt._ He grimaced. He would have liked to have some conversation to help pass the time and keep him from going comatose, but the silence between him and Kai was tense.

"So…" he tried, and looked over at Kai. The red ninja pulled back on his dragon so that they were flying near each other.

"So what?"

 _Great…that's literally all I got,_ Cole thought, irritated.

"Um…I guess maybe you could fill me in…"

"Ah, right." Kai looked uncomfortable. "Well, where should I start?"

Cole thought for a moment. "Right after I jumped off the dragon."

Kai nodded. "Well…Jay nearly said some choice words…" they shared a laugh, and the tension seemed to ease. "We all wanted to go back…but we knew we might not make it to Dragon Haven otherwise…"

"I'm glad you kept going." Cole said quickly. Kai awkwardly shrugged and continued.

"Yeah…well, we get there, and it's like this big underground bunker where all the Dragons are hiding out…"

"Why are they hiding out?"

"No idea. Didn't really get to that, actually. Anyways, there was this huge old dragon and he told us that we would find the fire dragon there but he wasn't sure where the ice and earth dragon were. Looking back its probably because the earth one was hidden under the Oni fortress. How did that even happen, anyways? You should ask him about it."

Cole looked down, listening to his dragon. Then he looked back at Kai.

"He doesn't want to talk about it."

"Ah…alrighty then. Wait, another thing, how come it didn't talk to you when we were in the fortress the first time?"

Cole looked down again. His dragon was getting irritated with Kai.

"Apparently I was never close enough. Or something. Plus it was all chained up when I woke up down there; it couldn't ever escape without ushering in the final battle." Cole answered.

Kai shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess. Anyways, we go to find the fire dragon…"

Cole shook his head and smiled as his friend retold the tale. He didn't find it that surprising that Kai's stubbornness almost got him burned to a crisp. Kai continued his retelling, talking about how they had reached the fortress. When he got to the part about Keyda betraying them, he noticed that Cole got very quiet.

"Hey…um…we don't have to talk about it if you don't want…"

"She said she had just escaped?"

"Yeah."

That had been right after she had left, then. Cole didn't remember much after that…he was pretty sure he had passed out pretty quick into his second round of enraging treatment. So had it all been a set up? The Baron and Keyda working together from the get-go to manipulate him? It would explain why it was so easy to convince him to let her go. Or had she honestly wanted to help his friends rescue him? He hated not knowing…and he hated thinking about it. He tried to push it from his mind.

"Yeah…Ok. Then what?"

Kai went quiet. After a few moments, he said "We…um…we woke up in the arena, and you were…" he trailed off. Even knowing that Cole was ok, he really didn't like thinking about it.

"Yeah." Cole swallowed. It wasn't exactly his favorite memory either.

"And Keyda was there…"

" _What?"_

Kai frowned, not exactly sure what to tell his friend. Zane had said that she had destroyed the Baron's staff, and she seemed upset at Cole's supposed death. But she had also betrayed them and possessed the same dark magic as Lord Garmadon; there was no way that she was on the good team.

"Yeah...it…got pretty chaotic. Not sure what part she really had to play. These Oni were everywhere and they grabbed her and grabbed us and…"

"Wait, they took her? Where?"

Kai shook his head, baffled. "I don't know, Cole. But I don't think she's one of the good guys…"

He was interrupted by the sound of horns echoing across the terrain. Cole groaned.

"Not again. I guess the Baron isn't wasting any time. How much further is Dragon Haven?" he asked Kai.

"Uh…"

 _A few more hours at least. But the Elder Dragon has sounded the call and our kind are already on their way to battle._

"Ok… So do we keep flying until we catch up with them? Or should we start the butt-whooping early?" Kai asked.

Cole turned and could see dust rising on the horizon.

"How on earth are those land-scurriers faster than our _flying_ dragons?" He asked angrily. "I think they may just catch up with us eventually anyways…might as well do what we can to hold them off till the cavalry arrives."

Kai grinned, excited to be getting some action. His grin faded as he looked over at his friend.

"You're still in pretty bad shape, Cole. I think you should sit this one out."

"I don't think any of us are going to have the option to sit this thing out, Kai…"

"I'm serious. You can't fight…you can barely sit upright on your dragon."

Cole grimaced; his stubborn friend wasn't wrong. "So, what, I just keep my distance and let everyone else fight the battle?"

Kai knew his friend well enough to know he wasn't going to be willing to do that. He sighed.

"Just…just stay on your dragon, ok? Promise me you won't come within 100 feet of the ground. Deal?"

" _Kai…"_

" _Deal?!"_

Cole hated being useless. "Fine, Deal. Whatever."

 _ **49**_

Zane shook Jay again, and the blue ninja snorted and finally opened his eyes.

"Eh…whatzit…Zane?" He sat up and looked around. They were in the clearing again, a few yards away from a massive hole in the ground.

"Whoa…what happened? Last I remember we were plummeting to our doom…" he trailed off as he caught sight of the Ice dragon, its harness pale blue apart from its golden pull-bar chain. "WHAT?! When did _that_ happen?" He stood up, feeling annoyed. "I missed it?" he kicked the ground in frustration. He hated being left out of things.

Zane smiled and shook his head. Jay had played more of a part than he knew…but that was probably a story best saved for another time.

"Right now we need to get back to our friends, Jay. It's time that we summon the Dragon Master."

Jay nodded and headed for his dragon. A minute later they were in the air.

 _Kai_

"WOOO! Ah man, I've _missed_ this!" Kai yelled, as his Dragon did another flaming dive. Oni yelled and jumped out of the way, shooting crossbows at the Dragon and its rider. He looked over and saw Cole's Dragon shooting earth blasts from a safe distance. Cole didn't look too happy about staying away from the fray, but Kai figured he would just have to get over that. A crossbow bolt flew past his face and Kai turned back to the task at hand.

"Eat _FIRE_ , Oni scum!" He yelled again, and the Crossbow archers ducked for cover. Suddenly, two Oni on his right side aimed some sort of mechanism and fired. A net came flying towards him. Kai's Dragon pulled off a tumbling dodge and Kai was barely able to hang on. They flew up out of firing range.

"Whoa…not cool, forgot they could do that." He said. He had a sudden realization; if they fired one of those at Cole, he was not going to be able to hang on if his dragon pulled off some fancy maneuvering. He turned and could see his friend in the distance, not within 100 feet of the ground but still within firing range.

"I better go tell him to pull up…" Kai muttered. He knew Cole wasn't going to be happy about it, but they didn't really have much of a choice. Suddenly, Kai's dragon did a nosedive as it dodged another net.

"What the…" Kai yelled, unsure how the Oni had reached them way up here. He looked over to see some net-shooters on a nearby rock Formation. What he _didn't_ notice were the net-shooters on the rock-formation behind him. His Dragon roared in panic as a net wrapped around its wings; it wouldn't be able to pull out of its nose dive. Kai tried not to freak out as he burned through the net fibers, but he wasn't fast enough. The Dragon hit the ground hard and Kai went flying across the terrain, bouncing once or twice before coming to a rest.

He groaned as he sat up. He hadn't hit the ground as hard as his dragon, but he still felt like he had been punched in the gut, not to mention the headache forming. He shakily got to his feet and ran back towards his dragon; Oni were surrounding them now with crossbows and more nets. He flamed up his hands, backing up slowly to his dragon.

"Ok dragon, we got to get out of here…" he called back, but his dragon didn't reply. He glanced behind him and clenched his jaw; it appeared his dragon was unconscious.

"Guess it's just down to me, huh?" Kai muttered as the Oni took aim. Suddenly, a voice called out from the crowd.

"LEAVE HIM!"

The Oni looked confused and turned to make a path for the speaker. Kai narrowed his eyes as he saw Keyda, hands and eyes burning with hatred, staring him down.

"This one's mine…"

 _Survivors_

"I thought I was really clear when I said that it would be _only us."_ Nya said in annoyance. They were busy flying towards Haroshi's Labrinth in Rex, piloted by a smug Ronin. He turned.

"And maybe I would have listened…but all bets were off when you put _Dareth_ in charge." he said. Nya huffed and Lloyd put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Nya. He's just gonna take us to the labyrinth itself. It will be a lot faster if we have a pilot on standby to come pick us up after we find the stronghold."

"I guess…" she muttered.

P.I.X.A.L was in the back of the ship with a monitor, making sure that they weren't being tracked or followed by S.O.G.

"Any problems?" Skylor asked, sitting close by. The droid shook her head.

"So far it seems we are undetected…let's hope it stays that way. I still do not understand why we had to come by flight; it makes it a lot harder to be covert."

"From what Lloyd said, it would take days to get there by car or foot," Skylor pointed out. "And time isn't really in our favor."

Nya came over to join them. "Hey, Pix, everything ok?"

"Everything is fine." P.I.X.A.L snapped, causing Nya to blink in surprise. Pix had never talked to her like that before. She glanced at her robot friend, and then over at Skylor and back.

"Well, good." she said briskly and then walked away. From the front of the ship Lloyd sighed.

"I don't envy you, kid…." Ronin told him, and the Green Ninja looked over.

"What do you mean?"

The thief gave a humorless laugh. "Your whole team is made of headstrong women…that alone should warn you that there's gonna be nothing but trouble from here on out."

Lloyd frowned. "Shows what you know…" he replied, but he looked back at the three girls. Seeing all of their expressions, he couldn't help but feel that maybe Ronin wasn't as wrong as he thought.

 _Cole_

Cole's dragon fired another shot and then swooped up to avoid another rain of crossbow bolts. Cole tightened his grip and managed to stay seated. He hated that Kai had been right…he really was struggling to even stay upright. Suddenly he heard the echo of roars and turned to see dragons flying in the distance.

"Looks like the cavalry's finally arrived!" He called out, and turned to find Kai. He frowned when he couldn't see the Red dragon anywhere…where had he gone? He flew over the Oni army, dodging the bolts that came his way. There, in the back…he saw a glint of red. He flew over to get a closer look. It looked like the Oni in that area had circled up to watch something…

His heart dropped when he made out what it was.

 _ **Kai**_

"Should have known it would come down to this…" Kai yelled. If she wanted a fight, he was more than happy to give her one! She fired a purple blast and he dodged out of the way.

"I'm going to enjoy putting you in your place…" she glowered back. She had been looking for the Baron…but she had unfinished business with this cocky outsider. She dodged the fire blast that came her way.

"Everything you ever said to us was a lie…" Kai yelled, running at her. She screamed in joined his charge. Soon they were embroiled in hand to hand combat.

"I never _once_ lied to you!" she spat. "But you outsiders, on the other hand…"

"Oh yeah? So betraying us was just a friendly gesture then?" He blocked her attack and went for a punch, only to have her grab his arm and use his momentum to throw him behind her. He had to admit…she was pretty strong.

"You have _NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT_!" Her fists swirled with purple, and Kai tried not to swallow hard. Maybe he was a little in over his head…but his anger kept him from backing down. He charged her again and his flame hit her shoulder, causing her to gasp in pain. He took confidence from the hit and began spinjitzuing toward her. She focused both hands and hit him with a double purple beam, sending him flying out of his spin. He hit a large boulder hard and gasped as the breath left his lungs. Suddenly she was there, pinning him up against the rock by his neck with one hand while the other glowed dangerously.

"You think you know everything…" she said, her voice suddenly calm and deadly. It reminded him of how the Baron spoke. "But you don't…and you don't even deserve to know the truth…" she held her hand up for the final blow and Kai struggled in her grip.

" _KEYDA, STOP."_

Her hand froze as the voice called out from behind her. It couldn't be…

She turned slowly; there stood the Idiot, in the flesh. He was about 20 yards away with a determined expression…but he looked like we was about to collapse at any moment. She stood down and Kai dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. He looked up and yelled at his friend.

"Get _out of here,_ Cole! Get back on your dragon!"

Keyda turned back and hit him with another purple blast, sending the red ninja flying backwards into a crowd of Oni.

Cole wasn't going anywhere.

"That's enough…leave him alone…" He had to hope that Kai would be able to get himself out of that mess; he could barely stand as it was.

Keyda turned back to him. Her insides were a boiling vat of emotions and she hated that. She hated him. She began walking towards him, fists still pulsating. The Dragon behind him roared in warning.

 _Let me destroy her…_

"No." Cole replied softly. He looked at the crowd of Oni that had stopped to watch; several were aiming their net-firers. "But you should get out of here."

A net exploded towards them and the dragon blocked it with its tail, which the net wrapped around.

 _She will destroy you Master of Earth…what are you thinking?_

"Just keeping a promise to my Mom." he said, watching as Keyda drew nearer. A few more Oni cocked their nets and Cole's dragon growled in frustration before shooting into the air. The force of the liftoff caused Cole to stumble forward but he managed to stay on his feet.

Keyda shook her head as she watched the Dragon abandon the Idiot.

"You really are the stupidest person I have ever met!" She yelled, drawing closer.

He met her eye. "Look…I know you don't like me…"

"No…I _HATE_ you!" she screamed, and charged him.

 _ **50**_

The dragons had reached the battle. The Elder Dragon flew up to get a good view of the situation, roaring orders as dragons flew down into the fray. Wu clung to the dragon's talons, searching desperately for any sign of his students.

 _Survivors_

Lloyd picked his way through the jungle, the rest of his team close behind. He turned to smile at them over the bag of masks on his back.

"You know…there's a really beautiful oasis somewhere around here…my Dad and I found it the last time I was here…" his voice trailed off as he thought about that trip.

"That sounds really cool, Lloyd," Skylor chimed up. She was trying her hardest to feel like a natural part of the team, but something had definitely felt off in the group ever since they had left Borg Tower.

"Maybe we can see it some other time…we need to focus on the task at hand," Nya interjected. "Is the stronghold somewhere around here, Lloyd?"

"Um…" he paused, looking around before checking the coordinates on a device Ronin had given him. "We are definitely _close…_ I was hoping that P.I.X.A.L would be able to locate it if we were within range of it,"

Nya looked at the robot walking next to her. "So, Pix, find anything?"

"I'm still looking." P.I.X.A.L said coolly, and then began walking faster as she caught up with Lloyd. Nya watched her go, her mouth open in disbelief. Suddenly she turned to Skylor.

"What is _up_ with her…did you say something?"

Skylor frowned at Nya's accusatory tone and stopped walking.

"Excuse me?"

"P.I.X.A.L." Nya said, pointing at the robot in irritation. "There's something up with her…"

"Yeah…I GET that, but why would you think that it has something to do with me?"

Nya didn't really know what to say, so she just stood there staring at Skylor with her hands on her hips. The former restaurant owner folded her arms.

"You do _realize_ that P.I.X.A.L just lost someone close to her, right?"

Nya flushed. Of _course_ she realized that…though she realized with a start that she hadn't actually talked to P.I.X.A.L about it yet.

From up ahead, Lloyd heard the arguing. He turned around with a sinking feeling that only grew worse when he saw his two teammates.

"Aw, man…" he said, turning quickly to get back to them. He had spent his life on a team of moody guys…but moody _girls?_ He realized that he was way out of his league here.

"Hey, guys!" he said, keeping his tone light as if nothing was going wrong. "I think that just up ahead, there's…um…"

"Not now, Lloyd," Skylor snapped, turning more fully on Nya. "What's your _problem_ been lately, Nya?"

"Problem? _I_ don't have a problem!" Nya spat back. "Pix is the one upset…"

"No, there's no point in putting this off any more," Skylor took a few steps towards the Water Ninja. "I really don't know what happened, but ever since we got out of Borg Tower you've been acting weird around me. Is it because my cover got blown? Am I no longer a meaningful part of the team now that I have nothing to offer you?"

Nya stood her ground. "NOW you're just being ridiculous Skylor!"

"Am I?" Skylor glowered while Lloyd stood with his arms out, glancing awkwardly between the two sudden rivals. The redhead continued. "So then why is it every time I try to make a suggestion you shut me down?"

"Because of what it is you're suggesting!" Nya spat back. Her temper was rising and she wasn't being as careful with what she said. "How am I supposed to trust you when you want to use evil Oni masks for yourself?!"

Skylor looked like she had been slapped. " _THAT'S_ what this is about?! You don't think you can _trust me?!"_

"Ooookaaaay…" Lloyd tried intervening again, but they were definitely past the point of no return now. Nya bit her lip, she hadn't meant to go there…but she couldn't take it back now. Besides, she was angry enough that she wasn't about to back down.

"Well…what am I _supposed_ to think, Skylor?!" she spat back. "I mean, sure, you helped defeat Chen but then you disappeared to start up a restaurant of all things…"

"Why does my restaurant _bother you so much?!"_

"…and you supposedly cared about Kai but you never even _visited…."_

Suddenly everything went quiet. Skylor raised an eybrow.

"So it's also about your brother, then…"

Nya flushed darker. "Of course not!"

"I get it, Nya, you're protective of your big brother, but I would have thought that my actions on my father's island would have spoken for themselves!"

" _This is not about Kai!"_ Nya yelled, fists clenched. Skylor didn't look convinced and even Lloyd was raising his eyebrows. The water ninja finally sighed.

"Well…not a lot. It's just that Kai's liked lots of girls before…I swear flirting was his favorite hobby,"

"I get it." Skylor said, coolly.

"You know what he was like," Nya said defensively. "He was such a flirt but it also meant that he bounced back pretty easily from rejection. But then he met you, and there was something different…"

"And that's a bad thing." Skylor said flatly.

Nya groaned in frustration. "No…yes…ugh. The thing is, you're _really hard to read_ Skylor! None of us…not even Kai, knew if you actually had feelings for him or not. And he wasn't moving on from you very well after you kept your distance and running your restaurant. He even hung your picture up in the bounty!"

Skylor suddenly looked a little flattered. "He…did?"

"It was kinda disgusting…"

Skylor's face fell again. " _Wow…_ ok…"

"I didn't mean…ugh." Nya had calmed down, but still found herself irritated as she tried to articulate something that had been bothering her in the back of her mind for the last few years. "It's just I never saw my brother as hooked on someone as he was on you…I guess I was just really scared that at the end of the day you were going to break his heart. And I wasn't sure how well he was going to be able to bounce back from that."

Skylor just shook her head. "I get it, Nya. I mean, for the longest time you were the only girl in your brother's life. You're protective of him…but I still don't get why that made you _hate_ me so much. Did you ever consider the possibility that I DO…well… _did…_ like your brother?"

Nya looked uncomfortable. "Well… _yeah;_ but after everything that happened, I wasn't so sure."

"Everything? What are you talking about?"

"When they all _died!"_ Nya was suddenly yelling again. "That whole event gutted me…it left me _broken._ And it still does. But then looking at you through the whole thing…you were just so nonchalant. It was like you didn't even _care…."_

Skylor's eyes flashed angrily. "Did it ever occur to you that I've spent the better part of my life hiding what I really felt inside? I had a monster for a father!"

Nya ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "But even before all of that went down, you never came to visit! You never even came to see Kai or anyone _ever…_ so how on earth was I supposed to know that you cared about him or wanted anything to do with this team!?"

Skylor's eyes were hard as flint as her voice grew soft.

"I know it may be hard for you to understand because you've been with them all from the beginning…but your little ninja club was-and _is-_ pretty exclusive. Sure, I wanted to help more, to come around more, maybe even be part of the team… but you all clearly knew what you needed for each of your little missions and a noodle-slinging, _former_ Elemental Master wasn't ever on your list." She turned and marched away, leaving a stewing Nya and a bewildered Lloyd behind. The Green Ninja had saved the world several times…but give him two angry women and he had no idea what to do. He glanced over at Nya but one look at her expression and he knew better than to open his mouth.

Suddenly P.I.X.A.L's voice cut in from somewhere ahead.

"I believe I've located Borg's stronghold."

25


	12. Part 11

Nicki's Story

 _ **51**_

 _ **Kai**_

Oni grabbed at Kai from all sides. He lashed out with fire and they backed off enough for him to stand, but then they were there once again. He yelled in frustration as he spinjitzued and blasted fire.

"Get out of my _way!"_

But the Oni continued to throng him; there was no way out.

 _Wu_

Wu caught sight of an earthy brown and green dragon carrying a limp red dragon out of the fray. He recognized them immediately…but they had no riders.

"Look!" He yelled at the Elder dragon, pointing at the two Elemental Guardians who had collapsed on a Rock formation. The Elder dragon flew over to them.

 _Where are the other guardians?_

"Where are the ninja!?" Wu yelled, interrupting whatever replies the two dragons were giving. The talon cage compressed in as the Dragon clenched its foot.

 _The Elemental Masters are of less importance…we need to find the other guardians. The Dragon Master must be summoned. The Oni have the power of Pure Hatred on their side and we shall all perish without him._

Wu kicked and punched the talons, wishing he was big enough to pull off spinjitzu.

"We must find my students!"

 _The Master of Earth has doomed himself…and the Master of Fire is lost in the throng. We do not have time to save them…we must prepare for the summoning._

 _Nya_

Lloyd looked at the overgrown pile of rocks and scratched his head.

"And the entrance is somewhere in all of that?" he turned to P.I.X.A.L, who was studying the rocks intensely.

"Yes." She sounded distant and more robotic than usual. Lloyd frowned. Here they were on the cusp of a dangerous mission and his team was falling apart. The situation was bad enough that he almost considered calling Ronin to ask for advice. _Almost._

He turned to face his team, but there was only Nya behind him. He didn't blame Skylor for being angry; Nya had said some pretty callous things. But this was a really bad time for her to go off on her own. He sighed and addressed his remaining team.

"You guys stay here and see if you can find the entrance. Pix, I want you to run a full scan of the building if you can. I'm going to go get Skylor and we can crack down on a plan of action when we get back."

The two girls watched Lloyd disappear into the woods and awkward silence immediately followed. P.I.X.A.L walked towards the large boulder pile. The amount of foliage covering it made it seem like it hadn't been touched for a very long time, but P.I.X.A.L was definitely picking up some familiar frequencies from within it.

Nya helped her pull foliage off of the rock, looking for the entrance. The water ninja was feeling stubbornly defensive after her fight with Skylor, and now she had to deal with the feeling of guilt that was twisting inside as she stood next to P.I.X.A.L. They worked in silence for a couple minutes until Nya couldn't take it anymore.

"Pix…I know you're mad…"

"I am not mad."

"You're obviously _upset_ at least," Nya replied, suddenly overly interested in a tangle of vines. She remembered something that Skylor had said and looked over at the droid. "I guess I know why, Pix. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you about it before now."

P.I.X.A.L continued scanning as if she hadn't heard Nya at all. Nya felt ready to scream; first Skylor and now Pix. She didn't even know what she had done wrong! The water ninja ripped ivy off of the boulders in anger. She didn't deal well with getting the silent treatment. After clearing off a good sized patch, she turned to P.I.X.A.L once again.

"Look, Pix…I need you to at least _talk_ to me. I really am sorry that I haven't been there for you after what happened in the tower. I guess I've just been upset that _once again_ Harumi was a step ahead of us, _once again_ ruining any chance we had of defeating her for good. If it weren't for Borg and Ronin we probably wouldn't have made it out of there alive…"

"Not all of us made it out." P.I.X.A.L said quietly, finally talking. Nya grimaced.

"I know… I really am _really_ sorry. None of us wanted to leave Borg…it guts me that after all of that we couldn't get him out as well…"

"It did upset me to leave Borg behind…but I am only upset at myself for that. I do not blame you Nya."

Nya blinked. "Then why are you so mad at me?"

P.I.X.A.L scanned another area of the boulders, frowning. Why was the entrance so difficult to find? She also wished that Lloyd would come back. She would rather focus on the task at hand than be forced to talk about what she was feeling. She glanced over and saw Nya's determined expression; the water ninja was not going to back down until she had some answers, it seemed. The robot sighed.

"I do not know. There is no logical reason for me to be upset with you." She paused, trying to organize her thoughts. "You have been preoccupied with getting us to the Samurai X cave and now getting us here so we can destroy the masks…but in all of that you seem to have forgotten that you are part of a team,"

That stung. "What do you mean? Of _course_ I know that I'm part of a team; I know that I can't destroy the masks all by myself!"

P.I.X.A.L was silent. How could she explain to Nya that she had been acting obsessive, bossy and paranoid? And though she knew Nya had been worried about other things, her disregard for P.I.X.A.L's feelings _had_ hurt; the ninja had acted like nothing had happened in the tower and hadn't seemed to even notice her friend's pain at all. Instead, she focused on pushing and urging the team forward towards each step in defeating Harumi. P.I.X.A.L had simply decided that if Nya was just going to treat her like an unfeeling informational assistant…then that's what she would become. After all, she was very good at becoming exactly what was needed. She knew that Nya wasn't meaning to be so careless with those around her, but that fact lead P.I.X.A.L to a more troubling conclusion.

"Nya…can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Nya tried to sound light as she crouched to look into a gap between the rocks.

"Why is it you want to destroy the masks?"

Nya's brow furrowed in confusion and she looked over at P.I.X.A.L.

"What kind of question is that? We _have_ to destroy the masks, Pix! How else are we ever going to defeat Harumi?"

P.I.X.A.L was silent for a few moments, choosing her words carefully.

"Taking into consideration the time I spent in Zane's head, I have had a lot of experience on this team. We make goals and we do everything we can to accomplish them. Right now our goal is to destroy the masks…but your approach to this task goes beyond wanting to accomplish it. You have become impatient, even desperate to do so...and it has led you to being insensitive with those on your team."

Nya could feel her anger rising again, but she couldn't think of anything that she could actually say in defense of her actions. The droid continued, looking her in the eye.

"Do you see this task as something that can give you vengeance for our fallen friends? Is this a means of revenge for you against Harumi?"

Nya began ripping more ivy off of a part of the wall, becoming frustrated both with the hidden doorway and P.I.X.A.L's inquiries.

"I just want to get Ninjago back!" Nya spat. "Harumi is a madwoman who deserves…"

"I agree that Harumi needs to be defeated, Nya. But what I am afraid of is who _you_ will become if you allow yourself to become filled with anger and the need for revenge,"

"I'm FINE Pix!" Nya snapped back. "Can we just focus on finding the entrance?"

P.I.X.A.L looked like there was more she wanted to say but she walked away instead, continuing to scan the boulders. She couldn't help but continue to worry about her friend, however. Nya's obsession with destroying the masks—and Harumi—was created a change in the her that P.I.X.A.L didn't like to see. She just had to hope that the water ninja snapped out of her desperate need for revenge before she made choices that couldn't be remedied. The droid turned to look in the direction that Skylor had gone, but there was still no sign of her or Lloyd. She had a sinking feeling that perhaps such unfixable things had already been done.

 _Keyda_

Cole's mouth went dry as he watched her run at him in full force. There was no way he could fight her…so he sat down.

This seemed to only make her angrier.

"Get up and _FIGHT!"_

"NO Keyda…I'm not going to fight you. And not just because I can barely stand…" He yelled back. She was getting close now. She pulled out a sword; apparently, she had come prepared.

"Then I will destroy you!" she snarled, purple fire blasting up the sword. He continued to just sit there, staring at her. With that same infuriating _look._ She stopped right in front of him, sword raised and ready to strike. He looked at her sadly.

"What did the Baron _do_ to you?"

"This isn't because of him!" she spat and swung the sword. "This is because of _you!"_ The blade stopped inches from his neck. If she killed him it would prove she didn't care; the emotions would go away and she could sink back into blissful apathy.

Cole swallowed, trying not to think about the blade hovering by his neck.

"Because of me? What are you talking about?!"

The blade quivered. _Why couldn't she do it?!_ "BECAUSE YOU _DIED,_ COLE."

He blinked in surprise. Had she ever called him by his actual name before?

The Idiot shook his head at her, a small smirk forming. "Could you maybe…try talking like a _sane_ person?"

Was he seriously making a joke? _NOW?_ She pressed the tip of the blade against his neck, and he looked down at it.

"I see you still don't appreciate my sense of humor…"

"Stop it." she said icily. His smile faded as she glared at him and added pressure to the blade. "Your words aren't getting you out of this one…I _will_ destroy you…"

He met her eyes. " _Why?"_

Her vision was marred by violet aura and tears. He just couldn't get it through his thick _stupid head!_

 _"Because I'm an Oni!"_ she screamed at him. " _And that's what Oni do!"_

"Is that _you_ talking? Or the Baron?"

"Don't you get it?! I'm a _monster!"_

"NO." He pushed himself up, struggling to his feet. She kept her blade pointed at him. _Why couldn't she just end this now?!_ He stared her down. "Keyda…you are _not a monster._ "

She scoffed. How could he pretend to know anything about her?

" _What am I then?"_ she whispered poisonously. The blade was pointed at his heart. If she could _just…_

" _Confusing!"_

She blinked, his answer catching her off guard. " _What?"_

"And genuine..." he continued. "And bitter and brave and real…" his voice got stronger as he went. " _Infuriating_ and clever…I've known you less than a week, Keyda…but I still know enough to know you are no monster."

"You're an _idiot…"_ she had unconsciously lowered the sword a bit.

"So you've said." he replied with a small smile. He was reaching for the hilt, slowly.

" _STOP."_ she repositioned the sword.

"It really is up to you, Keyda. It comes down to what I said before… I could be your worst enemy…" his hand had reached the hilt. "Or I could be your _closet friend._ We both know you could finish me with one blow, right now. This decision is totally up to you…so choose." Explosions and yells were sounding all around them as the Oni and Dragons fought, but she couldn't look away from his tired eyes. His hand closed around hers on the hilt of the sword and she stiffened. She didn't care about him…she _didn't…_

She dropped her arm, and Cole sighed with relief as her eyes faded back to orange. She shook her head at him, incredulous. He laughed and she tried not to smile at the sound of it.

 _ **52**_

Cyrus Borg had lost track of how long he had been locked in his office. He had stabilized the cross-bow bolt wound as best as he could; he was pretty sure it wouldn't be fatal as long as he could get some medical attention. But given how everything had played out, he doubted he would get that chance.

He wondered at what point Garmadon would come to finish him off. He hadn't actually seen the 'Evil Emperor' since the take-over, but he figured that Harumi was not one to make idle threats. Though Borg didn't regret his decision to help the teens escape, he also couldn't help but feel like maybe he should have done so a little more covertly. Though, Harumi would have probably been onto him either way. Still, he hated that P.I.X.A.L had to witness it; she had obviously been very upset.

He sighed to himself, keeping one hand tight against his wound. Through the years his genius had been targeted and manipulated by several different villains. He had tried to fight back as best as he could…but looking back he realized with guilt that each villain had still gotten what they wanted out of him. If it weren't for the ninja saving the day again and again, the evil that he had helped create on numerous occasions could have still spelled doom for Ninjago. So when he realized just what was going on in that throne room he had decided that he was done resisting in the background; it was time that he got right into the action and got his hands dirty.

 _Well…I certainly accomplished that…_ he thought ruefully, looking down at where he was keeping pressure on his wound. Given how angry Harumi had been, he had to hope that they had all made it out ok. He also hoped that P.I.X.A.L wouldn't risk coming back for him; Harumi had undoubtedly thrown him in here as bait on the off chance the ninja mounted some kind of rescue. His thoughts turned to his loyal assistant. He had created her years ago as a help in his industry; he never would have imagined that she would become the amazing and strong personality that she was today. He knew it had a lot to do with the ninjas' influence—especially Zane's. After his death P.I.X.A.L had disappeared, but Borg was sure she was just off mourning her friend. When she never returned Borg had tried not to be disappointed; he had told her that she belonged to no one and could make her own decisions. Surely she had grown tired of assisting the old cripple and had gone off to start over, far from the painful memories made in Ninjago City. He had learned later that she had joined up with the Ninja at some point again…and that Zane was alive. To be honest those ninja were always up to something and it was hard to stay caught up with them. He was glad that P.I.X.A.L felt free to make her own decisions and find her own path—even if that path included becoming a vigilante Samurai. Borg smiled a little wistfully. She had become quite the hero…he had to wonder if she ever felt shame or disappointment when she thought of her brilliant yet cowardly creator.

An alarm began sounding from one of his computers and he frowned; what on earth could that be? He painfully wheeled himself over to check the monitor. It was the security from his hidden stronghold in Haroshi's Labrinth. He smiled despite the pain he was in; it seemed that Lloyd caught onto his hint. He began typing with one hand, trying to shut down the security system for the stronghold. He was able to get the computer alarm to shut off, but he grimaced as he remembered that there really was no way for him to shut off the inner security system protecting the armor. He and Wu had decided that it would be best if there was no override for this security…both of them had been direct victims of the Overlord's control and knew that villains could use people to get what they wanted.

"I hope you remember your training, Lloyd," he muttered before shutting down his computer system. No need for Garmadon to see that if and when he finally showed up…that is, if Borg even lasted that long.

 _Kai_

Kai knocked another Oni out of his way, breathing hard. He could finally see Cole…Keyda was pointing a sword at his heart. He yelled and was about to charge through the remaining Oni when something hit him across the back of the head, knocking him out. The Baron looked down at him, one eyebrow raised. He turned to a nearby Oni.

"Watch him, would you? I have something I must attend to…"

 _Jay_

"Wow…looks like they started the party without us!" Jay commented as they saw the battle in the distance. "How are we gonna find everyone in _that?"_

"I'm picking up the dragon's frequencies coming from this direction…" Zane said, steering them to a plateau a distance from the heated battle. There was a brown dragon, a red dragon, and what looked like the Elder Dragon. But where were their friends?

 _You have finally made it. Come quickly…we must summon the Dragon Master._ The Elder Dragon sounded impatient… even borderline desperate.

"Where are Kai and Cole?" Jay asked. Like Zane he had noticed their absence.

"They are in danger! You must go to help them!" The ninja were shocked to see little Wu stuck in the Elder's grasp. "Quickly…they are lost in the battle…"

 _There is no time for that._ The dragon snarled. _We have the four Guardians and the four harnesses…we must…_

"What have you done to Wu?! Let him out of there!" Jay was ready to attack, but Zane had caught onto Wu's plea.

"We have to go find them…Cole especially will not last long in that battle alone." he pulled back on his dragon, which obeyed but seemed very skittish about it.

 _You will_ not _leave this rock…_ The Elder was getting angry.

"You are _not_ the boss of me," Jay stuck out his tongue as he too pulled back on his dragon, which cautiously obeyed. Zane could see that the Elemental Dragons had some divided loyalties; they would never be able to save their friends without their help however. He looked down at his dragon.

"I know that you may think that I am being vulnerable to my emotions…but I have made my decision. For better or worse I _am_ saving my friends first…can I count on you to be with me?"

At first the Ice Dragon made no reply and it watched Jay's dragon leap out of the way of the Elder Dragon's swipe. It looked over at the two other dragons; one unconscious, the other looking extremely displeased.

 _You can count on me, Master of Ice._

 _Skylor_

Skylor refused to cry. The last time she could even remember crying was when her mother died…and this situation was hardly comparable. Instead she hacked through jungle undergrowth with her long knife with barely controlled rage.

How dare Nya accuse her of being untrustworthy?! And her reasoning…because she never came to _visit?!_ She swiped through dangling vines with contempt. She had tried to offer her services when Kai had come to visit a year or so before…but Nya had shut down her attempts. So what right did she have to say that Skylor didn't _care?!_

She yelled in rage as she cut through more undergrowth. After the foliage was hacked to pieces, she found her anger drain away and she sat heavily on a nearby log.

Skylor was not one to give herself pity parties. She had been dealt a lot of bad hands in her life, but she had always played out her hand to the best of her ability regardless. She could survive just fine on her own…but doing so was _lonely._ She felt a little resentful; Nya had never been truly alone in her entire life. Meanwhile, that's how Skylor had been spending her last few _years_.

She heard twigs snap as someone approached; they must have been following her trail of decimated underbrush. She looked up to see Lloyd picking his way towards her. She realized distractedly that for once the ninja's brightly colored outfit actually blended in with the scene around him. He looked at her, his expression rather sheepish.

"Look, uh…I know Nya can be a handful sometimes…but she means well…" he started awkwardly. Skylor sighed.

"Should have known you would take her side,"

Lloyd was at his wit's end. This was a sticky enough situation without Skylor twisting his words around. Why did girls _do_ that?!

He held up his hands. "I'm not taking sides, Skylor. I'm not surprised you're mad…"

"Do you trust me?" The redhead fixed Lloyd with a piercing gaze. He blinked in surprise.

"Of course I do," he said, a little uneasy at her sudden scrutiny.

"Why?"

Lloyd sat down on the log next to her.

"Because without your help, we never would have made it off your father's island all those years ago. I mean…sure, I was upset when I thought you had turned Kai against us…but in the end you proved which side was more important to you. Plus you were more than willing to help us out after our escape from the beach,"

Skylor rested her head in her hands, not looking at him.

"I never really got to know Nya back on the Island, and it's true I never visited when we were all back in Ninjago. But I never would have guessed that she's been harboring all this resentment towards me…"

"I don't think Nya's behavior is about you, Skylor…she's been pretty on edge ever since we left Borg Tower."

"I guess."

"But if it's any consolation, you are _definitely_ a meaningful part of the team. That's why you were chosen to come along now; because we need you if we are going to be able to destroy these masks. I struggled to pass Borg's simulation security he ran for this stronghold…and that was back when I had my powers. If we are going to get to the armor, I need my team working at full capacity."

Skylor frowned and turned to him.

"Do you think…do you think there's a way to get elemental powers back? I mean…ever since my father used mine to finish that spell, I haven't been able to do _anything_ and I was wondering…"

"I'm not sure," he said quietly. He gave her a small smile. "But I really _hope_ so." The truth was that Lloyd was hoping that by destroying the masks and balancing out the auras that his mom had talked about he would be able to reconnect with his powers.

Skylor stood suddenly. "I guess we better head back and get to destroying those things, huh?" she gestured to Lloyd's sack.

"Yeah...maybe it's not a good idea to leave Nya and Pix alone too long, with everything going on," he said, shouldering the sack once again. He was glad that everything seemed to have calmed down now, but he knew that things could get out of hand again if they weren't careful. He just had to hope that Nya would be on her best behavior from here on out.

 _ **53**_

"You imbecile…how is it you aren't dead yet?"

Cole went to reply, but something caught his eye.

"Keyda, _behind you!"_

A sudden blast sent her flying forward into Cole, knocking them both to the ground. A second later she was being yanked away, her own sword at her throat. Cole fought to sit up as he glared at the Baron. Keyda struggled but the sword bit into her neck and she relaxed, fuming.

"You know, Cole…the more I think about it, the more I'm beginning to wonder if the reason your friends keep you around is because—like me—they just can't seem to get rid of you."

Cole just glared, breathing hard.

"Get your hands _off me…_ " Keyda struggled to summon her powers but the Baron had both her wrists behind her, locked in his vice of a grip. Any hatred she gave off was being absorbed into his bewitched glove.

"Now Keyda, it's rude to interrupt," he murmured, then turned back to face the ninja. "If nothing else, I must admire your resilience. But I do wonder if you are tired of ending up like this…defeated in the dirt."

"If this is about you and me, then let her go…"

"No…I must say it is about both of you at this point. You look pretty pathetic lying there, you know. But I suppose we all know that despite your pathetic appearance, you are capable of great things."

" _What are you talking about?"_

"Your friends really take you for granted, don't they? I mean…the things they had to say to you in the arena…"

"That wasn't them!" Cole spat. He had managed to sit up but wasn't sure he would make it to standing position. "That was _you!"_

"Me? I don't even _know_ you outsiders…how on earth could I plant all of those delicious details? No…I'm afraid that…"

" _SHUT UP."_

The Baron chuckled. "You should know I plan on destroying you…but I figured that first I would give you a one-time offer. Join me and…"

" _No."_

"Aren't you ready to be on the winning side? Aren't you ready to be _appreciated?_ And don't you care about _her?"_ He shook Keyda a bit for emphasis. "Don't you want to be on the same side that she is? _"_

" _Stop."_ Cole decided to try to stand after all. "She's not on your side. And neither am I."

The Baron shook his head in amazement as he watched the outsider struggle to rise.

"Well…no one can say that I didn't try to give you a _fair chance._ " He looked at Keyda. "But you both will learn that she is very much on my side…and to prove it, she's going to kill you herself."

She struggled in his grasp once again, trying to free her hands. " _No."_ His grip tightened.

"Come now, look at the state he's in…it won't even be difficult. All it will take is one solid shot…"

"You do _not control me._ You do not _OWN ME._ And I will _NOT DO IT."_

A vein pulsed in the Baron's neck. "Oh…don't I? It seems that you are forgetting how to take orders…" Still gripping her wrists, he pointed the sword at Cole. A bruise-colored stream shot forward.

" _NO!"_ Keyda screamed as the flash hit. But instead of blasting Cole back, the Hatred merely enveloped him. His face went slack as he crumpled down to the earth, surrounded by the purple cloud.

" _What are you doing to him!?"_

The sword was back at her throat, and the Baron spoke softly into her ear as she trembled and fought.

"It seems you have much to learn about the beautiful power of Hatred…shall we have a little lesson now? Unlike rage-which merely leaves a soul vulnerable for control-hatred _invades_ the soul itself and corrupts it. The longer it stays the more it warps and perverts until there isn't a spark of light or sliver of goodness left…"

" _Stop it! Don't do this!"_ she struggled against him, but the Baron grip truly was like Iron. He chuckled at her attempts.

"Poor boy…all that he has left is his _good heart…_ but soon I will dissect even that until he is just a husk of his former self…" Keyda was thrashing in his grasp, no longer caring about the sword at her throat. "Then…I will rebuild him. I will fill him with loathing, apathy and callousness and he will be _just like me…"_

" _NEVER."_ she spat at him. " _He will FIGHT IT."_

"Look at him Keyda." he commanded in distain. Cole was motionless, the purple seeming to seep into him. "Look how damaged he is...he cannot fight it. He couldn't even _stand…"_

" _NO!"_

The Baron shook his head as if he was surprised at her reaction. "And here I thought this would please you; don't you know what would happen if he and his friends succeed with their plan? They would _go back home…._ in the end he would abandon you," he shook her. "He would leave you here and go back to his own beautiful realm and friends…and he'd forget you…" she screamed and thrashed again.

"But now you can have him _forever_! With him and his friends remade we will be unstoppable and _all_ the realms will grovel beneath me…" The purple cloud around Cole was getting smaller.

" _Make it STOP…please…"_

"I won't do that, Keyda. I promised you that I would destroy him. When the Hatred has finished, there will be nothing of him left…and you will never be able to recover him. If you want to save him from this fate then _you_ must stop it…" He suddenly threw her forward and she fell onto her knees. Her sword landed next to her.

"…by putting him out of his misery."

She grabbed the sword and turned to attack the Baron, but he had been expecting it and blasted her back. His eyes burned as he smirked at her.

"You can waste time trying to defeat me…but it only makes it so you have less time to make your decision. I do not care what you chose to do. Either way he will be destroyed…and you will have learned your lesson. You are MINE…and you WILL OBEY ME."

She wanted to kill him...destroy him…but once again he was _right._ She turned and ran over to Cole, trying to tune out the Baron's laughter. She tried to push the purple aura away… _blast_ it away…but nothing worked and the Baron continued to laugh. "You cannot defeat Hatred with more _Hatred…"_ he mocked.

She shook as she looked down at Cole. At her _friend._ He was breathing evenly but his skin had this odd sheen to it. Was he dying? Or was that the effect of the aura? _What could she do?_

If he woke up the person the Baron described…she couldn't even imagine it. She remembered back to when he had decimated the gorge. Iron Baron wasn't bluffing; he would use him for heinous things. She couldn't let that happen.

 _Zane_

"How are we ever going to find them?!" Jay called. Everywhere they looked, there were more dragons and Oni battling it out. Looking for two people in this mess was going to be impossible!

Zane didn't answer, scanning the crowds. His scanner finally picked out a red figure.

"There's Kai!" he pointed out. "I haven't been able to locate Cole yet…"

"I'll go get Kai! You keep scanning!" Jay yelled back, and then he and his dragon plummeted to the place Zane had pointed out.

 _Master of Ice...I am detecting large amounts of ancient Oni Power coming from the south…"_

Zane turned his scanners in that direction, and he was able to pick out the Iron Baron, hands swirling with power. Since when could he do _that?_

"Get me closer."

 _Keyda_

The violet aura continued to disappear into Cole. She needed to save him…but _how could she?_ The Baron had left no back doors. There was no way out. She looked down at the sword in her hand.

She couldn't do it…she had already _tried._ She couldn't kill him. But if she didn't then he would become the Baron's next pet monster…

 _Zane_

The area was heavily guarded by Oni with nets…it seemed that whatever the Baron was up to, he didn't want any dragon company. That was when Zane noticed the two other figures.

 _I can't get in there…_

"Just get me close…"

 _ **54**_

P.I.X.A.L wasn't exactly sure what they had done to trigger the alarm, but she was picking up on Borg security codes being released somewhere nearby. No doubt security droids would be on them soon. Nya was spinning around next to her, obviously having the same thought.

"How do we get that to turn off?!" Nya asked. The alarm was annoying and grated on her already frayed nerves.

"I'm running analysis now…" P.I.X.A.L said, scanning the surrounding area. Her radar was picking up on approaching figures that had them surrounded.

"Anything?!" Nya asked, hands over her ears.

"Nothing on the alarm…but we are about to have some unexpected company…" P.I.X.A.L said as she pulled out her bow. Nya noticed the movement and grabbed her spear. The two friends were soon back to back, awaiting the approach of Borg's security nindroids.

A few laser shots came out of the forest and they flipped out of the way. P.I.X.A.L fired a few shots in the direction they had come from, but she knew that they were at a disadvantage; their enemies were shielded within the jungle while they were out in the open. She started jumping up the large boulder stack.

"We need to obtain the higher ground…"

Nya nodded in agreement and began climbing a nearby vine. They were about halfway up when the alarm suddenly stopped. Nya shook her head; the sudden silence allowed her to realize that her ears were ringing. She turned to P.I.X.A.L.

"Did you do that?" she shouted. The droid shook her head as a laser shot hit a patch of Ivy between them.

"We need to keep moving!"

They reached the top of the boulder stack and immediately crouched down. P.I.X.A.L fired down on the Nindroids that had come out into the open. She had taken out a few when the others suddenly dropped as well. She blinked in surprise and then realized that Lloyd and Skylor were moving in. It seemed the Green Ninja had talked her into coming back after all.

"Where did these guys come from?" they heard Skylor say, nudging one fallen droid with a foot to make sure it was really down.

"No idea…though, I'm remembering that these guys were in the simulator…"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Maybe you can let us know about the _other_ surprises that we'll face _before_ we rush headfirst into them…"

"Lloyd!" Nya called, waving from the top of the boulders. The two friends on the ground looked up.

"What are you doing up there?" he called. Nya shrugged.

"Taking the higher ground!"

As they talked, P.I.X.A.L realized that the Borg frequencies were coming in clearer from their elevated perch. She scanned the area that they were sitting on.

"The entrance…it was up here the whole time!" she called out. Nya looked over in surprise and Skylor and Lloyd looked at each other before running over and starting their climb to join their friends. As they reached the top P.I.X.A.L had them stand on the perimeters as she cleared away the moss that blanketed the top of the pile. Soon she had discovered a circle in the rock below.

"The door…" Lloyd mused, while Nya pressed "Pix, can you open it?"

The droid frowned at the circle; it did appear to be some kind of door…but its edges were flush with the rest of the rock and there didn't seem to be any kind of panel or other opening mechanism.

"I am not sure…"

"But you're the one who turned the alarm off, right?" Skylor asked. She and Lloyd had heard it on their way back. When it had stopped they figured that their robotic friend has somehow cancelled it out.

"No." it suddenly occurred to P.I.X.A.L that she didn't know why the alarm had turned off. Could it be that Cyrus Borg was alive? Helping them from the tower? She didn't want to give in to wishful, illogical thinking…but the truth was that no one else would have had the access or the authority to shut down the code. Unless Harumi had somehow gotten access to it and was leading them into a trap…

She shook her head, clearing it. There was a task at hand that she was getting distracted from. She looked up at Lloyd.

"You are sure that no one else knows about this place?"

The Green Ninja nodded. "Positive. Borg never even told me outright this place was in Haroshi's labyrinth…"

"But you said that you knew it was here!" Nya snapped. Lloyd smiled a little guiltily.

"Well…I was the one who ran his simulation. I asked him afterwards where the stronghold was hidden but he wouldn't actually tell me. But I always figured that it was in Haroshi's Labrinth; the jungle in the simulation looked just like the jungle my father and I visited…"

"You mean you pinned this entire mission on a _hunch?"_ Nya asked, shocked. "LLOYD, what if it hadn't been here?! You should have told us you weren't sure…."

"But it was here." Skylor snapped. "So maybe we should just figure out a way of getting inside already." Nya gave her a nasty look but stopped yelling at Lloyd, who sighed at the tension that had already managed to build itself up again.

"That would certainly be easier if you would all be quiet." P.I.X.A.L pointed out as she continued to scan the hatch. She pushed, pulled, tugged, and even jumped on the opening, but it didn't seem to budge.

They watched P.I.X.A.L work for a few minutes. Skylor walked over, scrutinizing the doorway.

"Maybe if we just…"

"Look, I'm sure Pix knows what she's doing," Nya snapped. "So it would probably just be best if we all stay out of her way!" It was infuriating that even after finding the doorway they were no closer to destroying the masks. Skylor glared at her.

"Would you just back off?! I'm trying to _help!"_

"Well you sure looked like you wanted to _help_ when you ran off without us!"

Lloyd positioned himself in between the two girls once again. He had had it with this.

"LOOK…that is _enough!"_ he was yelling and it caught them both off guard. Even P.I.X.A.L looked up from what she was doing. He continued.

"We got here…we are going to get inside this thing and destroy the masks...and we are going to do it _TOGETHER_ as a _TEAM._ And that means no more fighting! Gosh, even at their worse Jay and Cole were never as bad as the lot of you!"

Nya opened her mouth to say something more but he gave her a withering look.

"I mean it…all of this arguing and back-biting stops right now, and anyone who disagrees can go sit with Ronin in his ship… _are we clear?!"_

The three girls looked away, each feeling both annoyed and ashamed. Lloyd sighed.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes."

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes until P.I.X.A.L turned to Skylor.

"What was it you were saying?"

Skylor blinked, as if shaken from her thoughts. She went and stood next to P.I.X.A.L on the circle.

"Oh…right. Well, I was just going to say that back on my father's Island, the fortress there was crawling with secret passage-ways and what-have-yous. There was always some inconspicuous trigger or lever that would give you access to them. Maybe there's some kind of trigger with this doorway as well…"

"Perhaps…" P.I.X.A.L said, but she looked doubtful. Nya scoffed.

"Borg doesn't really seem like the 'booby trap' type to me…more likely it's something highly technical," the water ninja said. She tried to keep her tone docile as Lloyd was watching her carefully. She turned to a nearby branch that was growing up out of a crack in the rock. "I mean…with your theory, I would just bend something-like this branch-back…" she grabbed hold and did so "…and the door would just _magically open_!"

Behind her the hatch suddenly disappeared, and P.I.X.A.L and Skylor suddenly found themselves falling through the open air. Nya turned as she saw them disappear down the hole, but the hatch had only remained open long enough for them to fall through. By the time she and Lloyd reached it, it had slammed shut.

"Quick! Grab the branch again!" Lloyd yelled, and Nya ran over to it. But as she reached it the whole branch was lowering itself into the rock.

"OH NO!" she yelled, grabbing hold and trying to lift it and force it over again. Despite her best efforts, the branch disappeared into the rock and she looked at Lloyd in panic. He wore a similar expression as she ran back over to him.

"What do we do _now?!"_

 _Keyda_

Keyda closed her eyes and screamed as hate aura exploded off of her. Suddenly, she heard a thud and looked up to see that someone had landed between her and the Baron. There was no mistaking the metal glint; it was Zane.

"What perfect timing," The Baron seemed unfazed. "I was wondering where you and the blue man had gone off to…"

"You are close to being defeated, Iron Baron." Zane said coldly. "We have discovered the four harnesses,"

The Baron's smirk faded, but he didn't back down.

"And yet here you are, choosing to save your already doomed friend instead of summoning the Dragon Master. Now, you will never get the chance." He sent a blast towards the nindroid, but Zane nimbly dodged out of the way, sending his own blast the Baron's way.

Keyda watched in horror, and then looked down at Cole. It seemed that with the Baron's lack of concentration, the flow of evil had slowed. She grabbed her sword and went to help the metal man.

"You couldn't save your friend last time…what makes you so sure that you would be successful now?" The Baron was goading him on.

"I will never stop fighting for the right thing…regardless of previous outcomes." He watched as Keyda charged the Baron from the side, but the Oni leader caught on to the attack and sent several blasts towards her. She dodged the first two but the third caught her shoulder and sent her tumbling backwards. He turned back and kicked Zane as he almost reached him.

"You are both fools…nothing can stop the power of True Hatred…you cannot have any hope of defeating me…"

"You are on your own." Zane challenged. The Baron smiled cruelly.

"Am I? Oni… _to me!"_ he looked towards his followers who were gathered on the sides. It was then he noticed that they were all frozen.

" _Yes…._ you are, _"_ Zane answered, taking advantage of his momentary distraction to freeze him as well. He turned to Keyda.

"That will not hold him long…we must get out of here and summon the Dragon Master if we are to have any hope of truly defeating him…"

She didn't respond; she looked at the Baron and tightened her grip around her sword. She could just kill him now…

Zane touched her shoulder. "I'm afraid any attack at this point would only help him become free of the ice, rather than defeat him. We need to leave." She clenched her jaw and finally turned away from the Baron.

The Ice Dragon landed with a thud, having successfully rid the situation of any net-Oni.

 _Master of Ice…you must not let the Oni girl escape alive. She is the source of Ancient Magic._

Zane watched as Keyda rushed over to Cole. By the time he reached her, she had one of his arms around her shoulders as she struggled to lift him towards the dragon. She looked up at the nindroid.

" _Help me."_

He was already moving to support Cole's other arm, and they quickly carried him to the Dragon. They draped him over its neck and then Zane boarded. He looked down at Keyda and offered a hand.

 _NO…She is the_ enemy… _she cannot come with us…_ _we must destroy her._ The Ice Dragon snapped at her, and she backed away, uncertain. Zane could hear the ice cracking; the Baron would be free before too much longer, and he knew that Keyda would be doomed.

"Come on!" He called to her. She eyed the dragon, and then her expression hardened with determination and she leapt for Zane's hand. He pulled her on while his Dragon shook its head in anger.

 _The Elder Dragon will not allow…_

"There is no time. If we are going make it back to summon the Dragon Master, then we need to leave now." The Ice Dragon gave him one last scornful look.

"You said you were _with me."_

The Dragon huffed a blast of cold air before turning. Ice shattered behind them as the creature took to the skies.

The Baron was able to fire one shot off at the retreating Dragon, but it didn't hit home. His eyes burned as he watched the dragon grow smaller.

"This is far from over…"

 _ **55**_

Jay may or may not have hit Kai with a shower of lightening as he blasted down to save him. But from what he could see, his friend was unconscious anyways…so what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? His dragon snatched Kai off the ground, where he had been left by the fleeing Oni.

"Gotcha!" Jay yelled, grateful that the rescue mission had been successful. But where was Zane? He waffled for a bit, trying to decide if he should look for the nindroid or just head back. But what if Zane had already found Cole and was headed back to the others himself? He finally decided to just head back to where they had left the dragons; if Zane wasn't already on his way he would probably figure out that Jay had gone back. He was a nindroid after all…he was capable of figuring stuff out. Kai in tow, he turned back towards where they had left Wu.

 _Zane_

Zane was at a loss for what to do. He knew that they needed to get back to the rest of the team and summon the Dragon Master…but he also knew that Keyda's presence would cause unnecessary stress. He didn't regret saving her but he also figured he should drop her off somewhere before heading back.

"It won't be safe for you to join us with the dragons…" he started, but she turned from where she was seated in front of him to glare.

"I'm staying with him." Her tone left no room for argument. He knew she meant Cole, and he sat in silence for a minute, processing. She turned and faced forward once again. He analyzed the scenarios for bringing Keyda along or dropping her off somewhere. He sighed…at the moment, both seemed like bad options.

Keyda meanwhile was anxiously waiting for his reply. If he tried to drop her off alone, she would…well. She wasn't really sure what she would do, but after everything that had gone down she was not about to be left behind. No…she was determined to wait with the Idiot until he woke up. If he ever woke up.

"Can I trust you?" His question took her by surprise and she turned to face Zane once again.

"Isn't that what you're doing?" she asked quietly. Zane didn't seem satisfied by her answer and she sighed. "You outsiders can trust me more than I am comfortable trusting you. Does that answer your question?"

Zane sat in silence a little longer. He had come to his conclusion.

 _Skylor_

Skylor managed to grab onto something as they fell. It felt like some kind of root…though it was hard to tell in the darkness. P.I.X.A.L grabbed onto Skylor's sash and the redhead grunted as she held on. Whatever it was that she was holding on to, she hoped that it was firmly attached to this wall.

After the panic had died down in P.I.X.A.L's processors, she quickly scanned the area they were hanging in. They seemed to be in some large, tunneled out shaft. She tried to calculate how far the drop was.

"Pix?" Skylor gasped. P.I.X.A.L's weight was causing her sash to cut into her middle painfully.

"You can let go…" the android replied. Skylor's arms shook as she clung to the branch.

"You sure?"

"Yes…the drop from here is not severe."

Skylor wanted to ask her what exactly _not severe_ meant, but she was losing her grip and was pretty sure if they hung here another second she would be cut in half. She closed her eyes and released her grasp on the root and they tumbled into the darkness. She heard a metallic clang seconds before she hit the ground next to P.I.X.A.L. Sure the drop might not have been severe enough to be seriously injured, but Skylor still figured she'd be feeling it in the morning. It didn't help that she landed on the same arm Mr. E had knocked out of socket earlier. She rubbed it and winced as she stood up.

"You okay, Pix?"

"I think so," P.I.X.A.L looked around. At the moment they were totally in the dark and she worked on switching her flashlight function on. She picked Skylor out in the green glow; she was grimacing and rubbing her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah… just not going to be able to put weight on that for a while, I think. Do you think Lloyd and Nya are on their way down? I suppose they figured out how to open the doorway…"

P.I.X.A.L looked up and scanned the doorway, but it seemed as sealed as ever. She frowned as they waited a few more minutes for their friends.

"Why aren't they coming?"

"Perhaps they cannot get in...it could be that the entrances are set to seal themselves off after entry"

Skylor looked confused. "Why?"

"Because someone who was _meant_ to be here would be aware of where both the entrance and exit were and would not run into any problems. However, the lack of exit would pose quite the threat to those who were _not_ meant to be here."

"I guess that makes sense…though it hardly makes me feel better." Skylor said, trying to get a good look down the tunnel. "So…we're in here, but the masks—as well as the only person who actually knows how to navigate this place—are _outside_ with no way in…"

P.I.X.A.L sighed. "That is correct."

"But…you can lead us through here…right?"

P.I.X.A.L began doing a full building scan.

"I can try."

 _Ninja_

"There he is!" Jay pointed out the Ice Dragon headed for the formation. While they had been gone, the Elder Dragon had scraped a large circle in the stone. The other three Elemental Dragons were already in position.

"Is Cole with him?" Kai asked. He had woken up feeling sore and his headache had gotten worse. No one seemed to know what had happened to him other than he had been found unconscious in the midst of the battle. Why the Oni didn't kill him was a mystery as well, but he figured he should just count his blessings and not think about it too much.

The Ice Dragon landed and everyone went quiet as they saw who was on board. Or rather…who _wasn't_ on board.

"Where's Cole?" Jay asked, trying not to jump straight to panicking.

Zane dismounted. "Safe."

"Ok…ambiguous much? What is that supposed to mean?" Kai added. Last he had seen, Keyda was about to kill him. He had been right about her…why didn't anyone ever _listen_ to him!?

"We don't have time for me to explain. You will just have to trust me." His dragon went and joined the circle with the other dragons.

 _At last._ The Elder Dragon physically relaxed and released Wu from his clutches, who quickly ran over to where the ninja were.

"Are you sure you made the right choice, Zane?" Wu asked, looking up at the nindroid. He couldn't figure out why Zane would have felt the need to leave Cole behind somewhere and the situation felt ominous. Zane looked straight ahead.

"As close to it as I could get." He said vaguely. Jay opened his mouth to say something, but a flash of light caught all of their attention. The Summoning had begun.

 _Keyda_

Keyda watched the light from a distance as she sat next to Cole. She figured it must be the summoning; she felt her skin go cold.

When they had first landed on the rock formation they were currently sitting on, she had thought that the metal man was abandoning her. But then he had dismounted as well and pulled Cole off of his Dragon.

"It really is'nt safe for you to come…but I know that if I were to try to leave you somewhere on your own you would make it a fight. The Elder Dragon made it seem like it did not matter if we Elemental Masters are present for the summoning…so it should not make a difference if I leave Cole here…" He laid his friend on the ground and then looked Keyda in the eye.

"But I am trusting you, Keyda. Do not let anything happen to him." And then he was gone.

She looked over at the Idiot and brushed some hair out of his face. He felt feverish; she felt another twist of fear. It was odd…she had spent her whole life afraid in one way or another…generally with regards to the Baron. But this fear was different.

His breathing was normal as he slept but his skin still had that strange pall over it. How far had the hatred gotten? He hadn't woken up, so she hoped that meant the Baron hadn't gotten the chance to fill him with corruption. But had he succeeded in planting the seed? Was he still the same person, or would he wake up different? _Would_ he even wake up?

Perhaps when the Dragon Master destroyed the Baron, everything would right itself. She had always distained wishful thinking…but at the moment it was all she had.

24


	13. Part 12

Nicki's Story

 _ **56**_

The ninja watched in fascination as the four dragons blasted their elements into the middle circle. But instead of colliding and exploding, the elements seemed to melt into each other into a Golden Light. The harnesses on their backs glowed brightly and each of the golden parts seemed to be drawn into the central orb like metal to a large magnet. One by one the dragon's harnesses were stripped of their metallic piece and they were sucked into the central orb, which grew brighter. The ninja found themselves having to shield their eyes.

Then suddenly, it all stopped. They looked back and saw that in the middle of the circle was the Golden Harness, in its fullness. But there was no figure.

"Where's the Dragon Master?" Jay cried. Had they really gone through everything just for a _fancy seat?_

The Elder Dragon turned to them, amused.

 _Behind you._

The ninja turned to see a figure dressed in the golden armor of a Samuari.

Jay nearly leapt out of his skin. " _WHOA…_ why'd you have to sneak up on us like that?"

The Samauri looked amused. "I've been here the whole time, Jay."

The ninja's chins dropped simultaneously.

" _WU?!"_ Kai exclaimed, while Jay yelled _"YOU were the Dragon Master the whole time?!"_

"You have gotten older again." Zane noticed. He would place their master in his late teens now. "Did you know you were the Dragon Master?"

"No." Wu looked down at himself, as if taking in the armor. "But I suppose in hindsight, it does make sense."

"You mean to tell me that we travelled _all over this stinking realm….looking for the Dragon Master….AND HE WAS WITH US THIS WHOLE TIME?!"_ Jay yelled. Wu chuckled, which did not help the blue ninja's mood.

 _The child has fulfilled his destined Role…_ The Elder Dragon said, looking smug. _But he could not have done so without your own search for the harness._

"Did _you_ know he was the Dragon Master, then?" Kai asked, irritated.

 _None of us could know anything for sure…but I had suspected._

"Oh great…and you didn't think it was worth sharing it with the rest of us, then?" Jay still was annoyed at everything they had to go through.

 _There is not time to discuss this further…the Dragon Master must fulfill his destiny. He must destroy the Oni._

"But how? He doesn't even have a dragon to ride," Kai pointed out. Suddenly, a roar split the air. They turned to look and Kai let out a laugh. "Oh…I should have _known._ "

"The Ultra-Dragon!" Jay screamed, pointing. "I was wondering where that guy went off to!"

 _This Dragon is the destined mount for those possessing the Ancient Golden power of the Dragons._

"Like Lloyd…" Zane mused, making connections. Their friend's golden power had come from the Dragons, then.

The Ultra-Dragon landed, and the Elder Dragon turned to Wu.

 _It is time to fulfill your destiny…harness the dragon and go defeat our enemies._

"Our enemies…" Wu mused. Zane turned to him.

"The Iron Baron is still at large. He has somehow been able to harness the same power that we saw in Garmadon…"

" _What?!"_ Jay yelled. _"_ Now _he's_ got powers too?!"

"…and from what I can tell, he will only be able to be defeated by you." Zane finished.

Wu nodded, lost in thought. Then he headed to the Ultra-Dragon and put on the Golden Harness. He mounted and turned to the other ninja.

"Are you with me, ninja?"

The ninja looked at each other, then back at their sensei-turned-samurai. It was Kai who answered.

"Do you really even have to ask?"

 _Elder_

The Elder Dragon watched the five dragons fly back towards the fray. A feeling of relief and satisfaction had settled into him. It wouldn't be long now…soon the Oni would be eradicated from the realm and they would finally be free to rule their own land. He had waited many centuries for this moment, and had made many sacrifices.

Something caught the corner of his eye, and he noticed that the Guardian of Earth was turning to go in a different direction. Now, what was that about? The Elder spread its wings.

 _Nya_

Nya landed next to Lloyd on the jungle floor.

"I've been trying to reach them on our communicators, but the signal is jammed. How are we supposed to destroy the masks when we have them _out here?!"_

"Not to mention that Pix and Skylor are trapped inside with no idea how to get to the armor…or get out," Lloyd mentioned.

"Yeah…that too."

Lloyd looked around the clearing, rubbing his head and trying to figure out what they should do next. It was safe to say that things had once again gone very far off-plan.

"Maybe there's another entrance…"

"Lloyd, what do you remember from your simulation? Was this even the entrance you used?"

"I…I can't even remember. Honestly, it was years ago and I wasn't exactly going through it with the intention of memorizing it for future reference. Though I feel like I might have recognized that door and I didn't, so I guess that means there has to be at least one other entrance, right?" he was trying to convince himself as much as Nya.

"But even knowing there is another entrance doesn't help us if we have no way to find it!" she replied angrily. "If only you had fallen in and Pix was out here…you could destroy the masks and she could lead us to the other entrances." She kicked a fallen Nindroid in frustration.

Lloyd came over to her. "Nya…it's gonna be ok. We aren't so helpless…and neither are Pix and Skylor. We'll figure it out." He looked down at the Nindroid she had kicked and a small idea formed.

"Maybe we can hack into one of these guys…they had to come from inside, right?"

Nya looked down, but she looked doubtful.

"I don't know…"

"C'mon, Nya! You're the best engineer I know; you can do this."

"Yeah…I'm good at building stuff…I'm not quite as good at the whole hacking, techie part of machinery…"

He gave her a smile. "I'll help. We can do this; besides, we don't have many other options."

She nodded, brow furrowing with determination. She crouched down and turned the Nindroid over. After a few minutes she and Lloyd were trying to hack into the Nindroid's mental processor, but it was slow going.

"OW!" Nya yelled, pulling back as something sparked painfully on her hands.

"You ok?" Lloyd asked, pausing his own work. She sighed and didn't look up.

"You know what's funny? It's at times like this I miss them the most."

He sat back, looking at her closely. She continued.

"I mean…Zane probably would have already had this hacked by now. Cole could have just pounded that entrance in…and when I think of all the things _Jay_ would have to say in this situation…" her voice broke and Lloyd put a comforting hand on her arm.

"We will defeat Harumi, Nya. We will avenge our friends…"

She sniffed and finally made eye contact. "That's all I want." After a few more moments she shook herself from her sad mood; they didn't have time for this. She glowered at the Nindroid in front of them.

"But we can hardly do that when we are stuck out here! And we aren't making any progress with this!"

Lloyd looked at the Nindroid and had to agree with her.

"I guess maybe it's time we ask for help…" he finally said.

 _Keyda_

Keyda watched the dragons fly back into the battle, breathless. She wanted the Iron Baron destroyed…but she still felt anxiety as she saw the Golden Figure at the head of the group. The Dragon Master would usher in the destruction of the Oni. At least, that is what she had heard in whispers over the years.

Cole moaned softly and she turned back to him. It was the first sound she had heard him make and she watched him closely to see if he was waking up. But other than that slight sound, he didn't appear to have changed. She grabbed his hand without thinking.

"Hang in there, Idiot…" she muttered.

She suddenly realized that she could hear the beat of dragon's wings… _approaching_ dragon wings. She looked up and clenched her jaw as she recognized the Idiot's dragon coming towards them. What did it want?

It landed with a thud and eyed her like she was a piece of scum. She felt a flash of fear, followed by a flash of anger. If this dragon thought that it was going to take him away, then it had another thing coming. She was sitting between the Dragon and its Elemental Master, and she put her arms out protectively.

"Don't touch him."

 _Do you pretend to protect him? Was it not him who needed protecting from_ you?

She was shocked when she heard the voice, thinking it belonged to the Guardian. But then she noticed the Dragon Elder as he came closer. She narrowed her eyes and stood her ground. The Dragon leader landed with an air of importance, and it sneered at her.

 _Once the Dragon Master has dealt with your leader…you will be the final problem to take care of. Once you are gone, it won't be long before this realm is finally rid of all Oni…_ He took one threatening step forward and her hands lit up with power.

" _Stop."_ She tried to sound unshaken, and the Dragon scoffed in response.

 _So defensive…you remind me of_ her. _She too thought that you Oni were capable of more than mindless destruction. She too claimed to have experienced love. But you are both liars…and you will soon share her fate._

"What are you talking about?" she willed her arms not to tremble. There had been another Oni like her? What had happened to her? " _YOU'RE the liar!"_

The Dragon snarled and seemed about to lunge, but to the surprise of everyone the Brown Dragon stepped in the way. Keeping eye contact with its leader, the Guardian laid in front of Keyda and Cole. The Elder scoffed.

 _You guardians have grown soft with your attachment to these Masters. You forget your place._ Yet, the Elder didn't seem eager to face off with the Earth Dragon, either.

 _Why protect the enemy? Have you not seen how she has poisoned the Earth Master? I know you can sense it too…he has been deeply tainted by their force. Just as Antirock had._ The Guardian gave no sign of leaving, and the Elder Dragon shook its head in disgust.

 _It is not my destiny to destroy her, anyways. It is the Dragon Master's…oh yes. When they return, he will abolish you from this and any realm._ He looked into Keyda's eyes as he said his threat, then opened his wings and left. Keyda found herself trembling.

She wanted to say that the Elder was lying…all Oni knew he was a liar. But she also knew that the majority of the outsiders hated her. What could Zane and possibly this brown dragon do to protect her from the power of the Dragon Master?

She saw that the Guardian was looking at her, and there was still a skeptical gleam in its eye. She lowered her arms.

"…Thank you," she finally said, grudgingly. The Dragon huffed and laid its neck down, forming a semi-circle around her and Cole. It looked worried as it studied the Elemental Master, and that made Keyda fear all the more.

 _ **57**_

It didn't take long for the Dragons to track down the Baron's ancient Oni power. He didn't seem that surprised to see them as they came flying in; he calmly took in the Golden Samurai and even smiled when he saw Zane.

"Back so soon?"

"You might want to shut up, Baron…because you are about to see what happens when you mess with the ninja!" Kai called down. Jay seemed to contemplate Kai's words.

"Nah…still think you can do better."

"Ah…is this all the ninja then? Yet you seem to be missing someone…" He turned to Zane with a sardonic tone. "And Keyda is gone as well. Did you at least leave them together so they could look out for each other?" He flipped back to dodge the ice blast. Wu and the ninja descended on the Baron, but they suddenly found themselves with more targets as enslaved dragons and their riders and foot Oni charged at them.

Kai dodged a net and turned to Zane in shock. "What's he talking about?" Zane didn't answer.

"How humble you must be." the Baron called out. "You didn't even regale your friends with tales of you saving a damsel in distress…" He sent out a blast to cancel out Jay's lightening.

"You saved Keyda?! Zane, he's lying, right?" the Blue ninja called out.

Kai took one look at the nindroid's face and pulled back hard on his dragon.

" _ZANE…_ she _BETRAYED US!"_

"Is that what you think?" The Baron's voice floated through the chaos, sounding as smug as ever. "How wonderfully complicated these last few days must have been for you."

"SHUT UP!" Kai dove low, trying to locate the Baron. "Everything you say is just to get in our heads!"

"Of course…but that can be accomplished just as easily through truth as it can through lies. Why do you think your words hit your friend so hard in the arena?"

Kai yelled and blasted through the Oni ranks. Suddenly, a flash of purple headed towards him. He tried to dodge but he would have been hit if it weren't for a flash of gold that countered the Baron's attack.

"Kai!" Wu's voice was stern. "Your anger is making you vulnerable!" Kai looked away with a grimace. The ninja continued to weed out the Oni, but the only sign of the Baron were the flashes of purple that came their way.

"Iron Baron! That is enough…show yourself and let us end this!" Wu's voice called out over the crowd.

"Why would I do that?"

Oni shot nets at Jay and he yelled as his dragon did a few barrel rolls to avoid it. He sat up with a groan.

"Ugh…I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"I knew this would be your destiny; can you blame me for trying to stop it?" The Baron was addressing Wu once more, but the Dragon Master still could not locate him.

"If you wanted to avoid your fate, you should have tried to be a better leader," Zane pointed out, scanning the crowd for the Baron. The amount of dark Oni magic was making it hard to pinpoint him.

"I know you all view me as a villain…and I suppose my methods are a little…malicious,"

Jay dodged a purple flash and Kai fired at where it had come from, but there was no Baron there.

"But can you really say that I'm a poor leader? You should have seen this nation before I took charge. We had lost our connection to our ancient powers and the Dragons were decimating us. What would you have done in my place…let your nation die?"

"Well maybe if you weren't all so _evil_ …" Jay said, blasting lightening at another crowd of Oni. There were fewer Oni now, and they could finally make out the Baron in the crowd, though he didn't stop moving long enough for them to land a shot.

"Is destruction truly evil? Our magic is dark…but what is light without darkness?"

"Stop trying to confuse us with all this philosophical junk!" Kai shouted, trying to keep his attention so Zane could take a shot. The Baron sent out two blasts; one that knocked out the ice beam and another that nearly hit Kai.

"Tell me, ninja…do we Oni truly deserve life less because of the way we were created?" the Baron asked, obviously not taking Kai's advice.

"It is not how you are created, but rather what choices you make that lead to dire consequences," Zane pointed out, freezing a few more net-firers before they could ensnare the Ultra-Dragon. "And the choices you make hurt others in your insatiable thirst for power."

Wu had been quiet during this time, listening and watching while sending golden blasts to protect the ninja from the flashes of Hatred aimed at them.

"And what consequences will the Dragons suffer?" the Baron spat at them. "Perhaps I have captured many of them…but they have slaughtered many more of us.

"And yet your people are more afraid of _you_ than of dragons!" Jay yelled. "You manipulate people with fear…"

"Fear is a powerful tool," the Baron was basically in the open now, and his eyes flicking between the ninja as they assembled for their next attack. "But I have always followed the belief that the _end_ justifies the _means…"_

The attacks came all at once and he found himself unable to block and dodge them all. Jay's lightening hit home and he was blown backwards. The remaining Oni, seeing their leader fall back and seeing the Dragon Master approach, began to flee.

The ninja powered up for another attack, but Wu flew in front of them.

"Hold, Ninja…" he commanded, and then landed the Ultra Dragon in front of the Baron. The Oni leader smiled patronizingly, but his eyes burned with loathing.

"Come to finish me off, great Dragon Master? Now that your friends have done your dirty work for you…"

"Yield, Iron Baron. Surrender or we will be forced to destroy you."

The Baron laughed, standing. The ninja had all landed next to Wu.

"You have me outnumbered, I will give you that. I will not yield…but you will not destroy me."

"Wanna _bet_ on that?" Jay challenged. The Baron gave them his familiar smirk.

"I am the only one who can save your friend Cole…would you doom him by ending me?"

The group hesitated while that news sank in.

"You're bluffing." Kai finally snapped. "Sure, Cole might have been in bad shape, but…"

"You don't need to take my word for it…ask your metal friend. Cole's condition was far worse than mere physical wounds,"

Instinctively everyone turned to Zane. He frowned as he tried to recall Cole's state. He had assumed he had passed out during a fight with the Baron…but he had not thought to scan him fully.

"If you do not know…inquire of your _dragon._ I'm sure he could sense it." The Baron's fists were glowing purple now, and the ninja fired up as well. Zane looked down at his dragon and felt it stiffen beneath him. His frown deepened.

 _You must destroy the Baron. You must not let anything get in the way of that…_ Zane's heart fell as he processed the meaning behind the Dragon's words.

The ninja saw the look on Zane's face and turned back to the Baron.

"Ok...let's say we believe you, even though we _don't_ because you're a _liar…_ what did you do to Cole and how do we undo it?" Jay said uneasily. The Baron merely laughed.

"Your friend here," he gestured to Zane, "interrupted a very particular process. You see…Cole was about to be my newest _recruit…_ "

"He never would have agreed to that!" Kai spat. The Baron shook his head, as if amazed by their stupidity.

"No…perhaps not of his own will, but I have ways of convincing people to see my way. Surely no one knows about that as much as you do…"

The ninja felt sick. Zane suddenly recalled the purple cloud that had been around Cole when he had landed to save them.

"But the process was never completed…"

"So what did that do to Cole?" Jay yelled. He hated how no matter how close they got to beating this guy, something always came up. Why couldn't anything ever work out smoothly?!

"His soul is in a limbo-like state." the Baron seemed pleased at the anxiety he was picking up from the ninja's expressions. "If something does not pull him back in one direction or another than his body will slowly waste away and his soul will be lost to limbo forever. He won't even make it to the departed realm."

"So it sounds like we are going to have to _make_ you fix that before we finally get rid of you." Kai growled. The Baron eyed him coldly before turning to the Dragon Master. Wu had been studying the Baron carefully during the conversation.

"I will not do anything until I have the Promise of the Dragon Master that he will join the side of the Oni."

" _What?!_ He can't do that…he's the _DRAGON_ Master!" Jay yelled.

"The prophecy was clear that whichever side the Dragon Master fought on would prevail. But it never specified that the side had to be the dragon's." His eyes flashed.

Wu contemplated the Oni Leader. "And what is it, exactly, that _you_ are promising to do?"

"Just as I said…pull your dear friend from limbo and the brink of being lost forever."

"You could merely corrupt him and still say that you kept your promise…"

The Baron's eyes flashed again and Wu knew he had been right about the Baron's intentions. He shook his head slowly.

"I have already been forced to watch that change in my own brother. I will not allow it in my student. I will make you no promise."

The Baron's expression darkened. "Then you will lose _all_ your students…" with a sudden force Oni power exploded from his hands, heading straight for the ninja. Wu was barely able to counter with his own force as the ninja's dragons balked. Wu struggled to push back against the overwhelming tide of Hatred.

"Face it _Dragon Master…_ you are nothing more than a child assuming an unfamiliar role. You will not be able to defeat me. You will fail…and you will lose everything. You should have chosen to side with me while you had the chance…"

"I am not as young as you might think." Wu pushed back with more determination. "And I am afraid to say that it is _you_ who have doomed yourself…"

The ninja watched in both horror and fascination.

"Should we do something?!" Jay yelled over, but Kai and Zane were just as unsure as he was. Zane noticed a few brave stragglers on the Oni side who were aiming nets at Wu, and blasted them with ice.

"We must protect Wu!" he shouted, and the three ninja took off into the air once more to protect their master.

The Iron Baron yelled in frustration and loathing; it was the first time Wu had seen him anything but calm and apathetic.

" _There is NOTHING more powerful than PURE HATRED!"_

Wu looked at the Oni in front of him, and found that he truly pitied him.

"There are a few things." The golden light shot forward, seeming to evaporate the ancient Oni Magic as it went. The Baron met Wu's eyes as, for the first time in the Oni's life, he felt deep down what Pure Hatred felt like. And then the Golden power enveloped him.

The effect was blinding and the ninja looked away. After a few moments, the light faded and they risked taking a peek. The Baron was gone, the only thing left in his place were two black gloves.

"Is he…" Jay asked cautiously. Wu looked up at him, his expression exhausted.

"The Iron Baron has been destroyed." he confirmed. "But we must not let those gloves fall into the wrong hands."

"What…are they not one-size-fits-all?" Jay joked, and his friends rolled their eyes. Some things never changed.

As Jay went to gather the gloves under Wu's direction, Kai turned to Zane.

"The Baron was bluffing…right? I mean…Cole's not really…"

"I do not know." Zane looked down at his dragon, who remained silent.

"And he was lying about you helping Keyda… _right?"_ here Kai's voice took on an edge. Zane turned and looked him in the eye.

"I know you do not trust her, Kai…"

"Of _course_ I don't! She _betrayed us!"_

"I do not believe that she did." Zane corrected, as Kai looked at him in disbelief. "But even if she had…it doesn't mean that she couldn't have had a change of heart. Like _another_ woman we know…" he raised his eyebrow and Kai flushed.

"Oh, she is _nothing_ like Skylor…Skylor doesn't wield _dark evil Oni Magic!_ "

"I meant what I said to the Baron, Kai. We don't judge people for what they are…but what they do."

"Ok…you obviously missed a few hours ago when she almost _KILLED ME!"_ Kai yelled back.

Zane shook his head, knowing that nothing he said would be able to convince Kai of what he had already come to terms with.

"I know I can't make you see things my way, Kai…but I trust her, and I would just ask that you…"

"Zane!" it was Wu who interrupted him. "You must take us to Cole immediately. I must see for myself how much truth there was to the Baron's threat."

 _ **58**_

The sound of the explosion woke Keyda, and she mentally kicked herself for falling asleep. She was exhausted though…she couldn't remember the last time she had gotten a good rest. There was a fading golden light in the battlefield. She felt like her heart was in her mouth. That was the end of the Baron…she didn't know how she knew, but she had no doubts that the Dragon Master had succeeded in destroying him. Her whole figure sagged with relief, realizing that the Oni who had tormented her for nearly her entire life was gone. The relief was short lived however; she knew that now the Dragon Master would fulfill the rest of his destiny.

She suddenly remembered Cole and looked over at him, not sure if she should even dare to hope that there would be a change in him. There wasn't. She continued to watch him, hoping that there would be…that he would wake up now because the Baron was vanquished. But the longer she watched, the more her hope faded until she was just left with fear and despair.

"Wake _up…"_ she pleaded, shaking his shoulders gently. She felt the dragon move behind her and she looked up to see it staring into the distance. She tried to see what it was looking at, but for all she could tell there was nothing. After a few minutes, however, she saw the forms of 4 dragons taking to the sky and began to shake.

The Elder had been right…the Dragon Master would come here now to destroy her. She thought about running away…climbing down the rock formation and hiding in some crevice or losing herself in the continuing battle. But she knew that he would find her, just as he found the Baron. Besides, she couldn't leave the Idiot.

The four dragons had nearly reached the rock formation, led by Zane.

"You just left him here, passed out?" Kai yelled.

"It's not like he's alone…look, his dragon is with him!" Jay pointed out.

"…And Keyda…" Kai muttered darkly as they came closer. The Dragons landed and they all dismounted. Wu looked at the Ultra Dragon.

"You must go back to the battle and try to convince the Dragon's to stop this war. There is no need to have unnecessary violence; I am sure the Oni will surrender soon." As the Ultra Dragon took off, Wu turned and walked briskly towards Cole.

Keyda trembled harder as she watched the Golden Dragon Master come closer. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end. At least the Baron was gone now…at least…"

"I need you to move over." Her eyes popped open at the gentle voice and she looked up at the Golden Samauri. Despite being the living embodiment of Oni nightmare, he looked kind… and _familiar_. All at once she recognized him.

"You're…the kid…" relief made her limbs weak as he nodded and smiled.

"Yes, Keyda, but I need you to move over. I have to examine him." She shook herself back to the present and moved aside so that Wu could sit next to her. The other outsiders had come closer as well, though the blue one eyed her skeptically and the red one was glaring daggers.

Wu closed his eyes, giving off a golden light as he meditated. Finally he opened his eyes, examining Cole with a worried frown.

"Sensei?" Zane pressed. Wu looked up at the ninja, expression grim.

"It seems that the Baron was telling the truth. He is fading."

"But…but you can fix him, right?" Jay asked. Surely Wu could do anything…a second ago he was literally radiating light. Wu looked down.

"Perhaps…but I am not sure."

"What's wrong with him?" Keyda's question came out in a whisper. She was afraid to hear the answer…but she _had_ to know.

"I'm sure you _really care_!" Kai yelled, moving to storm over to her. Zane grabbed his shoulder and Wu gave him a chastising look before turning to answer Keyda's question.

"It seems that the Baron was working to corrupt him…but as the process was never complete, his soul is lost in limbo."

She seemed to shrink into herself. "So he'll never wake up?"

Wu put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will do our best…"

 _You have done it!_

Everyone looked up to see the Elder Dragon approaching.

"Ah, not this guy again." Jay muttered. He wasn't sure he really liked this cryptic dragon all that much. The ninja watched warily as he landed.

 _The Baron has been destroyed. Now there is just one obstacle in the way of destroying the Oni once and for all…_

Wu's face was hard as he studied the Elder Dragon.

"We are dealing with things of more importance than your own misguided agenda." The Elder stepped back as if Wu had struck him. He snarled.

 _Fool…this is not my agenda…it is prophecy. You MUST destroy the source of Oni Magic!_

Keyda's mouth went dry as she witnessed the Elder's rage, but she took comfort in the fact that the Dragon Master didn't appear to take orders from him. The Elder looked anything but comforted as he realized the same thing. He seemed to be glowing that eerie ancient-parchment color and the elemental Guardians seemed to all tense up.

"Woah now, no need to make a big scene…" Jay said, putting up both hands. "It's just that we need to save our friend…"

 _You think you can save him now?! It is too late; his fate is sealed and it is_ because _of that Oni witch! Would you choose to let her live and have others suffer the same fate?! We must rid the realm of their scourge!_

"He's going to be fine because _Wu's gonna fix him!"_ Jay shouted back. He was tired of this guy trying to push them around!

Zane looked out over the battlefield at the battling nations. "The Baron is defeated…and the Oni do seem to be afraid of the Dragon Master. If they were given the choice, I'm sure that they would surrender…"

 _Those monsters do not deserve mercy…the prophecy will not be completed until every Oni is destroyed, starting with her!_ The Elder lunged towards Keyda and nearly trampled the ninja in the process. Wu blasted the Elder back with golden force, but the Elder dragon just roared in response.

 _You would attack a Dragon Lord with our own ancient force?!_ His tail whipped around and Wu's power was unable to stop it. The Golden Samauri went flying and the ninja gasped.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Jay went to run at the Elder Dragon but his own dragon blocked his charge with its tail.

 _The Elder is right…the Oni must be destroyed._

Jay looked over and saw that Zane and Kai were being similarly blocked by the Guardians.

Wu went to sit up, but the Elder's tail came down and pinned him to the rock. Now the only thing that stood in the way of the Elder and his prey was the Earth Guardian.

 _This realm will not be safe until all traces of the Oni magic are gone!_ The Elder spat, _Now get out of my way!_

Keyda tried not to panic as she assessed her options. Things weren't looking good…it seemed that no one would be able to protect her from her fate after all.

"There is no need to do this!" Zane called, struggling against his own dragon. "The true enemy has been defeated!"

 _You have no idea what you speak of, outsider!_ _Now be silent or I shall destroy you as well for being an Oni sympathizer._

The ninja looked at each other in disbelief; this dragon was crazy!

The Elder dragon began firing up a charge but the Earth Dragon stood its ground.

 _This is your last chance! Move!_

The Earth Dragon narrowed its eyes. It was unable to fire on its leader, but it was also sworn to protect its master. The blast from the Elder Dragon threw it backwards, and it tumbled across the ground. As it went to stand back up another blast sent it careening off the formation.

" _NO!"_ Keyda watched as Cole's dragon disappeared off of the ledge. She stood, facing the Elder as Hatred swirled around her.

"How could you?! He was one of your own!" she screamed. The Elder sneered at her.

 _He betrayed his own by siding with you, witch. I have waited a long time for this day and will not have my victory thwarted by a manipulating Oni. If the Dragon Master will not destroy you, I will destroy you myself…just as I destroyed Echo._

"You said that the Oni destroyed Echo…" Wu had continued to struggle against the grip of the Elder's tail, but it seemed like his golden powers were doing no good. The pressure increased as the Elder turned to glare at him.

 _They never would have given her the punishment that she deserved. She had infected Antirock with her destruction and her poisonous lies…my own brother. Just as this Oni has infected your student._ He turned back to Keyda just as she launched Oni Power at him. He blasted more ancient power of his own to stop her attack. It looked like Wu's Golden power…but older, almost like it was tarnished.

"Are you also the one who encouraged the purge?" Wu challenged. The Dragon laughed in its throat.

 _The Oni think that they came up with that idea on their own…but I wasn't going to have any Dragon suffer what my brother had. I would strip them of their power by taking away those Oni who claimed to be like that sentimental witch…_

Jay turned to his friends. "Um…I'm not the only one who is totally lost right now, right?"

Zane struggled with his dragon. "This is not right…you _know_ this is not right!"

The Ice Dragon did not release its grip. _You are not the only one who must make hard choices sometimes…_

Kai didn't say anything; he seemed to be deep in thought as he took in the Elder Dragon, Wu, and Keyda.

The Earth Dragon had managed to fly back up over the ledge, but instead of becoming more embroiled in the Dragon-Oni attack, it positioned itself over Cole to protect the unconscious Elemental Master.

Keyda shot more Hatred and dove sideways to avoid the counterattack.

"We Oni know that you have been the biggest instigator for this war!" she yelled. "You are no better than the Baron!" A shot hit her hard and she went flying backwards. She bounced once on the rock and gasped in pain.

 _This realm has always been meant for the Dragons. We cannot continue to create if you merely get in the way and destroy. Your kind is a mistake…one that I have been working to correct for centuries._ The Elder Dragon was walking towards her now, dragging Wu along behind him. The Golden armor scraped against the rock as Wu continued to fight. The Dragon blasted at Keyda again and she wasn't able to get out of the way. She skidded to a stop a yard or so from the edge of the rock formation. The ninja yelled at the Dragon to stop, but the Elder was close to his reward. Wu thrashed under the spiny tail, but with his arms pinned down he couldn't reach any weapons.

Out of the commotion, there was one phrase that caused the Elder to pause.

"That isn't for you to do!" Kai yelled, and the ancient dragon turned to face the red ninja. Kai glowered at Keyda. "Allow me."

"Kai, what are you _doing?!"_ Jay said as Zane cried "Don't do this!" The Elder Dragon smiled a little, sensing the outsider's own hatred for the Oni.

 _By all means._ The red guardian hesitated, but as the Elder Dragon stared at him he released Kai.

Keyda glared at Kai as he approached. She should have known that this is how it would all end. She thought about begging for mercy but couldn't bring herself to; if she was going to die she would at least have her dignity. His hands were flaming…part of her wanted to close her eyes and wait for it to be over, but she continued to stare at him.

Kai reached Keyda and stood over her. He sighed inwardly. He must be crazy.

He turned abruptly and fired a large flame blast at the Elder, who instinctively whipped through it with his tail. Wu took advantage of the moment and leapt up from the rock, dodging the Elder's attempts to ensnare him once again. The Elder sent a blast towards Kai and roared in anger.

Kai grabbed a very bewildered Keyda by the arm and yanked her along as he ran out of the way, avoiding the Elder's attack.

 _FOOLISH BOY! This girl attacked you and your friends…and you would save her?_

"Yeah…seems pretty stupid," Kai responded. "But if I've learned anything from this entire journey it's that some victories don't need to be achieved by fighting and violence." He turned to his Guardian when he said it, and the dragon looked away.

 _Then you have chosen death as well._ The Elder powered up for another attack, but Kai suddenly found himself joined by one Golden Samurai and one red dragon. The Elder narrowed its eyes.

"Speaking of, do you wanna know my favorite cryptic riddle?" Jay yelled from the side. The Elder turned, looking like he was ready to incinerate the talkative ninja. Jay continued despite the death glare he was receiving. "What is the best way to defeat your enemy?"

The Elder roared and Jay's dragon released him as they both dodged out of the way of the coming blast. Jay pushed himself up to his feet and walked over to join the others. "You make them your friend," he said, looking at Keyda. He was joined by his Guardain as well.

Zane looked at his dragon, who seemed to know where this was all going. It dropped its tail and Zane headed to join his friends.

"Even doing what we feel is right can have unexpected consequences." Zane said, addressing the fuming Elder. "You may feel that the Oni are a mistake, but to do away with destruction is to disrupt the balance of nature. The penalties for doing so would be severe."

The Elder glared at the Samurai, three ninja, and three Dragons in his way. He knew that there was too much to blast through.

 _I will not have this Oni force in my realm…_

" _YOUR_ realm?!" Jay asked, baffled. Zane put a hand on his arm to silence him.

"Perhaps there is a different solution to your problem." he tried. The Elder merely narrowed its eyes. Zane continued. "Now that we have defeated the Baron, we must take the Dragon Master back with us to our own realm to save our friends there. We could take Keyda with us…thus taking her out of your realm. That way your problem will be solved the second we go home."

"Yeah, there's already one crazy, purple-throwing villain tormenting Ninjago," Kai said off-handedly. "What's one more to the party?"

The Elder dragon began to laugh, and the switch in mood caused the ninja to look at each other uncertainly.

 _You thought you would get to go home at the end of all of this?_

His words caused their blood to run cold.

"Of course we're going home! That's the only reason we went through all the trouble to find the dragon master!" Kai yelled.

Zane eyes widened as he made the connection.

"The price…" he stammered.

 _That's right…and each of you already agreed to pay it._

 _ **59**_

Ronin flipped through his magazine as he lounged in REX. Now, this was what the doctor ordered; blissful alone time. No Dareth, no Lou, no immediate danger. He couldn't help but feel like he should have ran off long ago…

" _Ronin…you there?"_ Lloyd's voice came in over REX's speakers.

Ronin sighed dramatically. Seemed like his bliss was going to be fleeting.

"Yeah, kid. What's up now? The cat fights finally getting to ya?" he smirked and turned another page.

" _Uh…not exactly. It's just we were wondering if there was any way you could help us find the entrance to the stronghold…"_

"Thought that's what the robotic chick was doing," he said nonchalantly. He turned another page. Wait, was that an ad for discounted scrap?

" _That's the problem; we found one and half of us are inside, but Nya and I are stuck outside and the entrance sealed itself off. We are pretty sure that there are other entrances but we have no idea where to look."_

"I'm beginning to think that all you guys are good at is getting yourselves into pickles," the thief grumbled, grudgingly putting down the magazine. He sat up and started typing.

"You still got that device I gave you?"

" _Yeah…I still have it."_

"Good. Ok, I'll have REX do a Sonar scan and see if it comes up with anything…"

 _"This is Borg's stronghold!"_ Nya's shrill voice cut in through the communicator. _"I find it hard to believe that it would be able to be found with something as simple as sonar…"_

"Oh, there you are, Nya. Have you been playing nice with the other kids?" Ronin asked, trying not to chuckle as he imagined her face as irate noises came through over the speaker. "Now, you forget who you're talking to. Maybe Borg is protected against normal sonar scanning…but I equip REX with only the best."

" _And the illegal."_ Nya snapped. Ronin whistled low.

"Yeah…maybe, but hey, if it works it works. Don't bite the hand that feeds you, princess."

" _Do NOT Call me…"_

 _"_ And _done_!" the thief interrupted. "Doesn't look like a whole lot to go off of honestly, but there does seem to be a few anomalies. I'll send you the scan…"

" _Got it."_ Lloyd's voice came in after a few moments. " _Thanks, Ronin._ "

"Yeah, yeah." Ronin resumed his lounging position and picked up his magazine. "I just hope that when everything is said and done…I get some kind of recognition for all of my hard work keeping you lot alive. Monetary recognition would be best…"

Lloyd didn't answer; the green ninja had already hung up. Ronin shook his head in disbelief.

"Kids these days…"

 _Ninja_

Everyone had to wait a few minutes for Jay to get the screaming out of his system before any of them could get a word in edgewise. Though to be fair, none of the other ninja were in much better mood. They yelled at the Elder as Jay continued his tirade.

"You can't keep us here! We _are_ going home!" Kai yelled as the Elder smirked at their reactions.

"Why on earth would you _want_ to keep us here? Why pin the fate of the dragon nation on us staying here forever?" Zane questioned angrily. He had been stewing over what the price would be since Jay had mentioned it almost a week ago…but this?! It didn't even make logical sense.

" _THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I HAVE TRUST ISSUES!"_ Jay added. _"THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY YES TO THAT CRYPTIC DRAGON IN THAT CRYPTIC CAVE WITH THAT CRYPTIC MESSAGE!"_

 _But you all did agree…and now all of you are tied to that agreement._

"Oh yeah?" Kai fired back. "What if we just _break_ our promise?! You can have the dumb saddle back; we already know Wu is the Dragon Master. He doesn't need a fancy seat in order to defeat Garmadon…"

 _You are all fools. Your promise is binding and cannot be undone... the ties of the prophecy will keep you here._

"HOW?!" Jay yelled. "How can a DUMB PROPHECY keep us from going home?! It's just _WORDS!_ "

 _The prophecy was created with ancient binding magic, sealed with Antirock's death._

"Would someone _please explain this prophecy to me?!_ Because I have no idea what anyone is talking about _!"_ Kai said, unsatisfied by the Elder's answer.

Wu remembered back to when he talked with the Elder in Dragon Haven.

"Antirock promised that the child and the stolen elements would be returned to the Dragons…"

 _Yes. Returned to us…_ forever. _I was very upset when I discovered his connection with the Oni…but I was even more irate to learn that they had helped the child escape. With him we could have eradicated the Oni long ago, but Antirock betrayed me a second time by helping him escape. And then he pretended to send those dragons to get him back but he was only trying to aid the child further._

 _So…I did what I had to do to ensure our Nation would succeed in the end._

"You forced Antirock to make that prophecy...you forced him to seal it with his life…" Wu said softly. The ninja looked at each other, not sure if anyone was actually going to explain who the heck Antirock was but also feeling like they shouldn't interrupt Wu's conversation.

 _It was not easy to convince him…the witch's poison had tainted him deeply and she had filled his head with all kinds of nonsense. But I was able to use her against him._

"You really are as manipulative as the Baron!" Zane accused. He wasn't totally following what was being said, but he could fill in the blanks. The Dragon turned to Zane and scowled.

 _It was a necessary sacrifice. I was able to ensure we would once again have the child which had been smuggled from my grasp…as well as the elemental powers that the child had stolen from us. Combined, these would reveal the Dragon Master, who would usher in the reign of whichever side he was compelled to join._

"But…we're _people!"_ Kai argued. " _WE_ aren't the elemental powers…are you going to take them from us?!"

 _No, idiot boy. Haven't you figured it out? Each of you is the embodiment of the element you possess. As a final part of the prophecy, it was said that the elements would reveal the pieces of the dragon harness. You agreed to pay the price, which was accepting your role as a member of the prophecy. By doing so you revealed the harness and tied yourself to all the consequences connected to it._

"Consequences…" Zane murmured.

He remembered his conversation with his dragon in the ice cave; _We are bound by an ancient promise._ It had been the Elder the whole time; twisting the rules of prophecy and sacrificing his own brother in order to ensure that all that he viewed as lost would be returned…forever. _Indeed…even the right decisions made with correct assumptions will have unexpected consequences._ Had that been a warning of what was to come? To prepare Zane for the fact that all they were doing to be able to return to their realm was exactly what would block them from ever being able to do so?

"Well…then Wu won't fight on your side!" Kai tried. "What if he joins the Oni?! Whichever side he joins will win, that was the deal, right?"

 _DO NOT THREATEN ME! I have made too many sacrifices to get to this point and I will not be mocked. Moreover, the point in the prophecy about you staying here forever is not reliant on which side wins the war. And you would never be able to destroy the Dragon Nation without also destroying your Elemental Guardians…which in turn would cause you to lose a part of yourselves. No…it will be the Oni who lose this war._

"This isn't fair!" Jay wasn't done complaining. "We should have been told what the price was!"

 _If you had known you would have never gone through with it._

"EXACTLY!"

Zane turned to Wu. "Master…what do we do now?" But Wu had been as blindsided as all of them, and wasn't sure how they were going to get out of this.

 _You will obey me and destroy the rest of the Oni… and you will allow me to destroy the one who continues to cower behind you._

Keyda had listened to the entire dialogue in a daze. She was shocked to hear that the outsiders were stuck in her realm, though it didn't surprise her that the Elder had plotted all of it. She didn't know who Antirock or Echo were and yet their names somehow sounded familiar. She must have heard them in the same whisperings that she had learned of the Golden Samurai. She was so involved in listening she had almost forgotten that the deranged ancient reptile wanted her dead. His last sentence brought her right back to the situation at hand, however.

"We will not allow you to destroy her…" Zane glared at the Dragon. "If anyone deserves punishment, it is _you…"_

The Elder Dragon fired on the nindroid, but the ninjas' combined attacks countered the blast.

"You cannot defeat us all…your power has grown weak and tainted from your treachery." Wu pointed out. "You have lost your connection to the true power of the dragons; the true creative power."

"I'm gonna guess that power is _Love…._ considering that it's the opposite of Hate…" Jay mused. "But I'm also going to point out that saying it out loud feels incredibly cheesy."

"You felt love once, Elder…but now you are tainted revenge and greed; the very things you look down on in the Oni." Wu challenged while the Elder Dragon roared in rage. "You wield powerful ancient magic, but it is not pure. There is no way you can force us to do your bidding and you know it."

 _I HAVE AN ARMY! If I must destroy every Oni myself while you are forced to watch, I WILL rid this realm of every trace of them and their power!_

The ninja took fighting positions as he raged, but at the last moment he looked away from them towards the brown dragon still positioned on the other side of the formation.

 _And if I cannot start with the Oni witch…I will start with your student and the lingering evil within_ him _!_ The Elder took off towards the Guardian of Earth, who immediately stood and prepared for the impact.

" _NO!"_ the ninja yelled and started chasing, but they were no match for the dragon. Not even Keyda could catch up as she streaked across the rock, firing at the Elder.

" _STOP!"_ she screamed, willing him to turn around and fight her. But the Elder knew he had found the perfect victim to punish them all and was adamant on vanquishing it.

It had only been moments, though it felt like hours as they watched the Elder draw closer to the Guardian, which was still bracing itself for impact. Suddenly something rocketed from the sky and tumbled with the Elder across the dirt.

"The Ultra-Dragon!" Jay cried, and Wu closed his eyes in relief.

The Elder Dragon clawed at the four-headed beast, but the Ultra-Dragon did not have to conform to the same Leader-protecting laws that the Guardians were bound by. The Rocky head was especially vicious as they wrestled in the dirt.

The Elder Dragon took to the skies with the Ultra-Dragon following suit, continuing their battle.

Keyda paused for only a moment to watch before she was once again running towards the brown dragon. The ninja arrived shortly after her and the Earth Guardian moved aside so they could see their friend. He was unharmed from the Elder's charge, but his face had taken on a gaunter look.

"I think he's getting worse…" Keyda murmured.

"This is just _GREAT!"_ Jay yelled again. "Not only are we _trapped here, FOREVER,_ but Cole is slowly fading away into a _FATE WORSE THAN DEATH!"_ He breathed heavily as he looked at his friends. "Did I _miss anything?!"_

"Yeah…the old reptile above us trying to kill everyone!" Kai added hotly.

"We cannot lose ourselves to panic, Ninja." Wu chided. It felt like that was all he had been telling his students lately.

"Do you have a plan, sensei?" Zane asked, and Wu looked up to see everyone looking at him with hope.

"There may be a way…" he trailed off, and then looked at Keyda. She was still examining Cole for more signs of worsening, but turned as Wu touched her shoulder. "But I will need your help."

"Wait… _her_ help?" Kai sounded skeptical. "With saving Cole or getting us home?"

Wu stood up and faced his students. "Both."

Keyda was shaking her head as she looked back at their unconscious friend.

"I…I can't do anything to save him…" she looked down at one hand as it lit up with violet aura. "If I even were to try…it could corrupt him." She looked up, dread reflecting in her eyes as her voice became haunted. "If he were to wake up like _that…"_

"I know it is frightening…but you must believe in your abilities. I'm afraid that on my own I will not be able to reverse the affects…and none of the ninja's elemental powers can be of any use here. You must be willing to risk it if we are to save him."

Keyda clenched her jaw and didn't say anything. For a minute or so the only sound that could be heard was the battling dragons in the sky above. When she looked up again, the dread in her expression had been replaced by an anxious yet determined look.

"What's the plan?"

 _ **60**_

"Now you need to move 18.38 degrees to the left…" P.I.X.A.L instructed. Skylor's eyebrows knit in concentration.

"Um…how exact do I need to be on that?" she asked, voice strained. She was on one hand, legs balanced above her as she carefully maneuvered around unseen laser trip wires. P.I.X.A.L was a few feet away, at a slight advantage given that she could actually scan for the lasers they were avoiding.

"As exact as possible…" the droid replied, and Skylor bit her lip as she slowly moved her legs towards the left.

"STOP!" P.I.X.A.L said suddenly. Skylor froze, sweat running down one side of her face.

"You were about to surpass 18.38 degrees…" the droid explained. Skylor closed her eyes, making sure to speak evenly.

"Ok…now what?"

P.I.X.A.L scanned the lasers again, calculating.

"Now bend slowly down until your feet touch the ground again, making sure not to sway left or right in the process. The lasers do not give you a very forgiving window…"

After a few more agonizing minutes, Skylor finally touched the ground and with P.I.X.A.L's help she was able to get her top half through the laser gate

"Well…that felt unnecessarily complicated." the redhead commented, wiping sweat from her face as she and P.I.X.A.L moved down the tunnel. "Wonder what the next trap will be? Snakes? Blow darts from the walls? Is it just me or does it feel like we're in some action movie?"

"I doubt Borg would have used snakes." P.I.X.A.L replied putting out a hand to signal Skylor to pause as she scanned the next stretch. "Snake traps are a bit cliché."

"Yeah…especially given the ninja's track record," Skylor joked. P.I.X.A.L didn't laugh and Skylor cleared her throat in the awkward silence. She looked around, groping for something they could talk about. She glanced at the symbol on P.I.X.A.L's suit.

"So…Samurai X, huh? Last I heard Nya's suit was taken by someone. Was it you the whole time?"

P.I.X.A.L turned down a sudden hallway. "Yes."

Skylor hurried to keep up with the android's pace. "What brought that about?"

P.I.X.A.L stopped suddenly and Skylor nearly ran into her.

"Something is not right…" P.I.X.A.L said, furiously analyzing the data that was coming in. Skylor froze, not wanting to trip whatever trap her friend had picked up on. She slowly pulled out her crossbow. Just in case.

"Back up…slowly," P.I.X.A.L ordered. According the Borg Security algorithms she was running, there was definitely some kind of trap in this hall. But despite all her scanning she couldn't figure out what it was…

The floor beneath Skylor suddenly gave out and she cried out as she tumbled downward. She landed on her feet and heard a rattling sound. She breathed shallowly, trying to see what was around her in the dim light.

"I guess even Borg isn't above snake traps…" she muttered as her eyes adjusted.

"Hold. Very. Still," P.I.X.A.L commanded from above. She pulled a rope off her back and analyzed the situation. The snakes were poisonous, but they hadn't struck yet. They seemed to be studying the intruder, rattling their tails in warning. Had the snakes not been a problem, Skylor could just climb up the rope to safety. However, the situation was a delicate one; she feared any sudden movements would cause the snakes to strike. She frowned to herself as she thought. A snake trap? Personally she still felt like it was cliché, but then again she knew that Borg did enjoy a good adventure movie.

"Pix…." Skylor said, her voice wavering. The snakes had all raised their heads and the rattling got louder.

P.I.X.A.L searched through her internal files. She analyzed those that she had been downloaded while she had been in Zane's processor. What was this one?

"I'm lowering a rope, Skylor. I'm going to play this file to distract the snakes, and I need you to calmly climb the rope to safety."

"OK…" Skylor said, slowly grasping the end of the rope as it came down to her. "What's on the file?"

"I am…not sure."

" _What?"_ Skylor hissed. The snakes hissed in reply and she tried to calm down her racing heart.

"It was labeled 'snake charm' so I believe it should do the trick…"

Seconds later a haunting flute tune was echoing down the hallway. The snakes seemed to immediately relax, and many swayed with the music. Skylor sighed in relief and began to slowly make her way up the rope. When she reached the top P.I.X.A.L pulled her up over the edge. The two friends took a second to look down into the snake pit.

"Wow, P.I.X.A.L…you are incredible!" Skylor said, smiling at the android. "Where did you even get that song?"

"I must have picked it up from Zane," P.I.X.A.L admitted. "Where _he_ got it from I guess we'll never know…"

"Well, I'm sure glad you had it. If I had to be stuck in a crazy, trap-ridden security stronghold, I'm glad it's with a reliable android," the redhead said, giving P.I.X.A.L a friendly punch on the shoulder before passing her to head down the hallway.

"Just…doing my job…" P.I.X.A.L said nonchalantly, but a small smile crept on her face. Suddenly she realized that her friend was headed down a hallway with no way to discover the dangers that were still ahead. She hurried to catch up.

"Skylor….perhaps it is best if _I_ lead…"

 _Wu_

The battle had seemed to slow since last they saw it; it appeared that whatever the Ultra Dragon had said to the dragon warriors had worked somewhat.

"Where do you want us to land?" Kai asked, addressing the Golden Samauri seated behind him. Wu scanned the area and pointed out a formation that seemed as central a place as any to address the warring factions. The four elemental dragons touched down and the ninja dismounted. Keyda slid off the earth dragon, muttering thanks before helping Jay pull Cole off its back.

The lingering fights between Dragon and Oni petered out they watched the Dragons land. There was no mistaking the Golden Figure. Wu approached the front of the formation, taking in the conflicting looks of hope and fear.

"Not gonna lie…this plan seems like a long shot." Kai muttered to his friends, who had come to stand beside him.

"It may be the only shot we get," Zane pointed out.

Wu was pleased to find that he could amplify his voice with his power as well as the Baron had been able to. He addressed the hoards below him.

"Oni…your leader has been destroyed." This was met with fearful murmurs…such had been the rumor spreading through the battlefield. Wu continued. "Dragons, your leader is a traitor who must face the consequences of his actions." This was met with a louder and more shocked reaction and the Dragons were seen looking around, trying to locate the Elder. He was nowhere to be seen; he was still engaged in battle with the Ultra Dragon a league or so away. Wu waited for the murmurs to die down.

"You all know who I am. And you know what I was destined to do." The Dragons roared in appreciation, while the Oni searched for an escape route. Wu held his hand up for silence. "But whatever you think that you know about me is wrong.

"Dragon and Oni have been together for as long as either side has existed. Yet you have spent that entire time in endless war. My coming was prophesied to end this conflict, and that is exactly what I plan to do. It was said that whichever side I chose to be a part of would prevail." Here he paused. Each individual within the sound of his amplified voice was watching, waiting. Fear and hope mingled in the tense atmosphere.

"I have made my choice. I will support neither side."

Cries rose from the crowd, coming from Dragon and Oni alike. Even the ninja's elemental dragons seemed confused and angry.

"Man…they really didn't like that…" Jay noted. Wu watched the crowd with his hands behind his back as he waited for silence. It took a few minutes before the crowd was willing to listen once again.

"Let me explain myself. The truth of the matter is that no matter which side I chose to save, the destruction of the opposite side would have disastrous consequences. You have gone so long viewing the other side as the enemy, just because they are different than you. The truth is your two sides do not _compete_ with each other…they _complete_ each other; you cannot have creation without destruction, and you cannot destroy if there is nothing that creates. Look around you…look at this realm. There is such potential here that is wasted because all your powers and efforts go into the destruction of the opposite side."

The ninja watched the throngs of natives closely. They still seemed aggravated, but it also appeared that they were listening.

Wu held out his arms. "Each side…Oni and Dragon…have viewed their world in terms of black and white. But reality isn't that simple. Yes, hatred is as powerful a destructive force as love is a creative one…but that is not to say those emotions are the only ones that make up either side. I have seen proof of this myself in only the last few days. I have met a Dragon warped with feelings of rage and hatred and revenge. I have met an Oni more than capable of selflessness and love."

Keyda's eyes dropped at this as the other ninja inadvertently glanced at her, still sitting next to Cole.

"What I would propose is simple…but it will not be easy. But if you truly want this conflict to be over than you must listen to me," Wu's voice grew more firm now. "The side I will support in this war is the only side which can free you of both bloodshed and consequence alike. I have chosen to support a united Nation of both Dragon and Oni."

The crowd erupted once again; what the Dragon Master proposed was as blasphemous a suggestion as could ever be presented. The ninja shared a look.

"I don't think it's gonna work…" Kai said, looking back out to the incensed crowd. Jay gulped.

"Is it just me, or do they look like they are going to destroy _us_ now?"

Wu raised his voice. "What I am intending isn't that you overlook your differences and ages of unrest overnight. I know that is not possible or realistic. But if both sides are not willing to surrender your insatiable desire to conquer the other, than it will not be long before you destroy each other. This has never been a war that only one side could ever win or lose, no matter what your leaders have led you to believe."

As much as they hated hearing it, the expressions that could be seen on the dragons and Oni showed that the truth of Wu's words were hitting home.

"Long ago, there was a union between a Dragon and an Oni. As unheard of as it was, it lead to the creation of a child who blended the opposing powers. That child left and grew up. He was my father. And now I have returned to do what he had been created to achieve; join the two warring nations as one. Creation and Destruction do not cancel each other out. To mix these two powers does not create a void…rather; it introduces a new force into the world. The force of _change._

"Change occurs when something is destroyed as something new is created. If you join together as one…it will change the face of this entire realm as you know it. Isn't that what you have been truly fighting for this entire time? To change your circumstances, so that you wouldn't have to live in constant fear and anger? Isn't that what you hoped to achieve by conquering each other?"

The throngs below bellowed in anger in response. What the Dragon Master proposed did make sense…but the thought of giving up everything they had spent centuries fighting for deeply angered both sides.

"It'll never work!" the Oni shouted, while the Dragons roared and looked like they would have flown up to take care of Wu themselves, had the Elemental Guardians not been there.

"The conflict is too deeply rooted in them," Zane mused. "They will not choose the path of peace."

"Perhaps…or perhaps it is because they cannot believe it can be done." Wu answered, addressing those around him with an unamplified voice. "This is why we must show them."

The Dragon Master and his students turned to Keyda, who clenched her jaw.

"Are you ready?" Wu asked. She didn't meet his eyes but nodded once. The ninja helped to carry Cole over closer to where the warring factions could see him. He knelt next to his student, positioning himself beside Keyda. He looked over at her and held out one hand. She met his eyes and he gave her a small, reassuring smile. She swallowed and took his hand. Wu's placed his other one on Cole as he closed his eyes. After a few moments he began emitting golden aura. Keyda took one last look at the Idiot.

"Don't you _dare_ wake up evil…" she muttered before closing her eyes as well.

30


	14. Part 13

Nicki's Story

 _ **61**_

Cole opened his eyes with a gasp, bolting upright.

"Keyda?!"

His voice echoed in the darkness of the void and he groaned. Not _here_ again...

One second he had been struggling to his feet, trying desperately to think of some way to free Keyda from the Baron. But now he was back in this weird mind void where he had met his Elemental Dragon. He got to his feet and looked around; maybe he could find that old lizard again and get out of here.

The void suddenly flashed with purple light, and all at once everything became distorted. Cole took a step backwards and stumbled on the void's floor, which had become rough and uneven.

"What the…"

In the light of the purple flashes he could see holes in the flooring and felt a sense of dread…what even happened if he fell through one of those? He picked his way across the void, trying to find a way out. How did he keep ending up here? And what was going on with this place? He turned at a rushing sound, trying to keep himself from panicking. He was in his own mind, right? What could hurt him in his own mind? There was purple smoke lingering in the edges of the space. What…

The smoke zoomed at him and he yelled and waved his arms, trying to dispel it. It made it to his face and poured into his nose and mouth; he gagged as the smoke choked him. It had an acrid taste that was strangely familiar and he coughed and spit, trying to dislodge it. He fell to his hands and knees, retching as he continued to be smothered by the strange smoke. He was starting to get light-headed from the lack of air…which irritated as much as panicked him. Why does his mind self even _need_ air? What the heck was happening?!

 _This is it…I'm literally going to die here, in my own brain._

Just as he had come to terms with his certain demise, the smoke suddenly started to dissipate and his mind cleared…literally. He coughed a few more times and took a few shaky breaths. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he needed to get himself to wake up before it could happen again. He got to his feet and had only taken a few steps when he felt something crack. He froze, looking down with a spike of fear. The floor suddenly dissolved and he was plunged down into the nothingness.

His yells echoed in the emptiness, and he closed his eyes, expecting to hit a bottom of some kind. The hit never came and he finally opened his eyes to total darkness.

 _Am I even falling…or just floating in this darkness? How would I even know?_

Sudden flashes of light caught his eye; they seemed to show memories, but they flickered in and out before he could really grasp what was happening in any of them.

Was this what it was like to die? He had never gotten the chance to talk to anyone who had died…but in the books and movies everyone made it seem like it was just like going to sleep and waking up in another place. Boy…did they get _that_ wrong! He looked around for a light…isn't that what he was supposed to be heading towards? Or rather… _not_ heading towards? He shook his head. Nothing made any sense.

It suddenly occurred to him that the world around him was grey. He hadn't even noticed the change happening…much like how one doesn't notice the sun setting until they find themselves in a dark room. He spun around, getting a good look at his surroundings as he floated. There wasn't much to look at…it was literally just all a boring shade of stone-grey.

Time was nonexistent…he could have been sitting there for minutes or years. He was startled to realize that he couldn't remember where he had been before this point. There were people he had to get back to…right? He looked down at his hands. Wasn't there something he was supposed to do?

He realized that he was tired… _really_ tired. He kept trying to remember what he had been doing…who he even was…but his head felt fuzzy and he couldn't think straight. Maybe if he just shut his eyes…

"What on earth are _you_ doing here?"

The voice snapped him back to himself, his mind clearing. He turned to find that a figure had somehow materialized behind him. The man sat in a meditative way, his face lined with stern wrinkles and his grey hair floating around him. Cole recognized him with a start.

"Garmadon?!"

Lloyd's father raised one eyebrow while Cole shook his head and continued.

"No offense…but I never pictured _you_ as the person who would be waiting to greet me into the Departed Realm…"

"This is not the Departed Realm," Garmadon cut in, as direct as always.

"Are you sure?"

Garmadon sighed. "Yes, Cole, I'm sure…I've _been_ to the Departed Realm…" he said dryly.

Cole went a little red. "Ah…right. So…where are we then?" The two figures looked around them at the endless expanses of grey.

"We are lost in a state of limbo…a place for partial and missing souls," Garmadon mused, and Cole tried to push away the sense of dread that was rising.

"Wait…" Cole's mind had started to reconnect. "Aren't you supposed to be in the real world? I mean…you're terrorizing Ninjago at the minute…how did you end up here?"

Garmadon looked at him, the lines in his face deepening as he frowned.

"I am not sure what occurred in the real world…but something ripped me from the departed realm. But whatever the force, it tore me apart and the majority of my soul ended up here. From what you say, it seems that my other side made it to the living world after all." He looked at Cole with a scrutinized expression. "But how did _you_ get here?"

Cole didn't really have an answer to that. He struggled to remember what had been happening directly before coming here. Someone was in trouble…something…wait! Keyda! The Baron had Keyda, and then he had shot Cole with a blast…

"Uh… I don't know. To be honest I think I should be _dead…_ not, um…missing," he said, still not sure he understood where they were.

"Odd…something really terrible must have happened for you to end up here instead."

Cole shuddered. "Yeah…well, let's just say I've been having a pretty rough week…"

Suddenly, Garmadon looked at him with a harrowed expression.

"How is my son? How is Lloyd?"

 _Aw man…that's a tough one to answer…_

"Uh… well. Last I saw him he was pretty…um…alive?"

Garmadon did not look comforted. Cole sighed.

"We actually got separated from Lloyd a few days back…he's still in Ninjago with Nya and Evil you, as far as I know. The rest of us ended up in the Realm of the Oni and the Dragon…"

"What?!" Garmadon looked shocked. "Why?"

"You know, it's a pretty long story…but I guess we have the time, huh?"

Suddenly, a blast of light blinded the two figures.

"WOAH…maybe not as much time as I thought…" Cole remarked, covering his eyes. Something tugged at him and he looked down to see what looked like a rope of light attached to him. He looked up at Garmadon.

"So…is this like a normal thing here, or…"

He was interrupted by another flash, this one violet hued. It slammed into Cole and he was pushed a few feet forward before the two light ropes seemed to be jerking him backwards. He reached down to pull them off but they were stuck tight

"Alright…what's happening?!" he said, trying not to panic. Not that this grey place was really that interesting to hang out in…but he wasn't really in the mood for any more surprises.

"Someone is pulling you back," Garmadon said, sounding amazed. Cole gave up pulling at the ropes.

"Really?! Well, here! Grab on!" He reached out and tried to grab Lloyd's father's hand, but to his shock his hand went right through the older man's. Garmadon sighed, sounding both frustrated and resigned.

"This is not a physical world…I cannot be rescued by physical means…"

Cole was being yanked further away.

"What does that even mean?! How will we find you again?"

If Garmadon had answered, Cole was too far to hear anything. The grey rushed past him and suddenly there were flashes of memories again, and then flashes of black. He closed his eyes, feeling sick. When he opened them, he noticed that he was heading towards a light after all.

 _Lloyd_

"Agh…these don't make any sense!" Nya complained, turning the device to look at it from a different angle. "There's nothing that looks like an entrance…"

"Borg would have his stronghold well hidden from detection devices," Lloyd mused, taking the device from her. "But Ronin mentioned that there were a few anomalies…that must be what these strange smudges are on the map…"

"But that doesn't mean they are _entrances…_ there could be any number of anomalies in this jungle!" Nya complained. "We don't have time to look at them _all!"_

Lloyd looked up, scanning the surrounding area. He zoned in on some trampled ferns.

"No…but if we could follow the path taken by the security droids and investigate anomalies on the way, that could give us a good place to start."

"Good thinking," Nya replied, heading over to the trampled ferns. They moved from clue to clue, with Nya yelling out in frustration any time they seemed to lose the trail. They always managed to pick it up again, however.

"Ok…one of the smudges is just over there," Lloyd said, pointing east while still looking at the device.

"And it looks like that is where the security nindroids came from as well," Nya said, pointing out a few footprints in a soggy patch of ground. They headed that way and came to a small clearing.

"Look!" Nya said, pointing out a few more footprints leading up to a large tree.

"The tree is the same location as the smudge onscreen," Lloyd said. "It must be the entrance!"

Nya knocked on the wood. "Feels pretty real to me…"

"Maybe there's some kind of opening lever…like there was before," Lloyd said, pulling hard on different branches of the tree.

Nya walked away from the tree, turned, and began running at it as she yelled. Lloyd quickly got out of the way. She jumped a few feet away and spun in the air, using the momentum of the spin to land a hard kick on the side of the tree. The whole thing shuddered and leaves fell, but no opening revealed itself.

" _Ooooowwwwww…"_ Nya said, massaging her foot. She looked up to see Lloyd flipping his way up the branches. "Where are you going?"

"The other opening was at the top of the boulder stack…I wondered if climbing up here would help us get some perspective…"

"Well…do you see anything?"

"No…" He had nearly made it to the top when the branch he landed on swung downward, throwing his balance off. He yelled out as he tumbled, but one of his hands caught a branch and he managed to save himself from the fall. He rubbed a scratch on his face ruefully.

"You ok?!" Nya called from below. Lloyd looked up at the branch, not sure what had happened. It was now sticking out at a weird angle….like a lever that had just been pulled. He scrambled down the tree.

"Hurry, do you see any kind of opening?!" Lloyd asked. Nya ran around the tree.

"Over here! There's a big hole now over by these roots…it looks like the entrance to some kind of animal home, to be honest…"

Lloyd landed next to her and a few more leaves rained down. "Not any animal I've ever seen…that thing is huge!" he commented. "I'm betting it's our entrance."

"Oh, I _know_ it is…." Nya replied.

"What do you mean?"

In response, she pointed down the hole. Lloyd took a closer look; In the darkness he could see was a bunch of red glowing eyes. He jumped back as he almost got hit in the face with a grappling hook.

"Well…looks like we'll have to deal with these guys first, then," he said. Nya nodded and pulled out her spear.

 _ **62**_

Skylor grasped the rope tightly.

"I got you," she encouraged with a smile. P.I.X.A.L smiled back, but Skylor noticed she still looked worried. "You'll be fine, Pix. If anyone can do this, you can."

The pair had finally made it above the central room, which housed the armor. However, P.I.X.A.L had discovered an alarming last complication.

"It is a serious risk, Skylor…I will only have a few minutes, at most, to find the control box for the room's security measures."

"And you're _sure_ that one of those measures is sleeping gas?"

P.I.X.A.L nodded. "Based on the data I'm intercepting, it appears to be the armor's final protection; if anyone was able to breach this room, they would be put to sleep. Nindroids do not breathe, so the gas would not affect them. Hence they could enter the room and arrest the intruders without any problems."

"Well…even if the gas does go off, at least you'll be unaffected then, right?" Skylor said, tone light. P.I.X.A.L gave her a withering look.

"Once the inner sanctum is breached, we will be swarmed with nindroids. I will not be able to hold them all off myself and _you_ would not be immune…"

"Then I guess you better find that control panel to save me the unwanted nap," Skylor said with a smirk. She adjusted her stance, anchoring the rope around her so she could belay P.I.X.A.L down into the room. The android opened the hatch and gave one nod at Skylor before lowering herself down into the room. The armor was floating above a cylindrical pedestal. She stared at it for a few seconds; she couldn't help but analyze it. The armor was giving off frequencies opposed to the Oni Mask frequencies… it must be that the golden armor possessed dragon magic.

"Ok Pix…did you find it?" Skylor called from above. P.I.X.A.L quickly scanned the room.

"I am still searching…"

She felt something on her foot and realized with a start that she had tripped a security wire. An alarm began blaring and she cursed herself for not being more careful; she had been so focused on eliminating the gas threat that she hadn't been paying close enough attention to the rest of the room. As an android, she should be better than this!

Iron security walls came down and sealed the door to the room, and bars shot across the roof, blocking the hatch.

"PIX! Are you Ok? What's happening?!" Skylor yelled from above.

"I tripped a security wire…" P.I.X.A.L scanned the room furiously, but it was in vain. The security panel wasn't inside the room… it was somewhere outside and she was now locked in here. To make matters worse, they had only minutes before the gas kicked in.

 _Keyda_

Keyda concentrated, forcing her aura down into the form in front of her. She tried to quiet her anxiety by remembering what Wu had told her while he had explained his plan to them.

 _You must locate his soul and connect to it…my connection alone will not be strong enough._

 _But how will I find him? How will I know if it even_ is _him?_

Wu's eyes had twinkled. _You'll know._

But she _didn't_ know… and she couldn't find him. With her eyes closed she was relying solely on the feelings from her aura, but so far she hadn't found anything but emptiness. She remembered the Baron's words with a stab of fear.

 _…all that he has left is his good heart… but soon I will dissect even that until he is just a husk of his former self…_

She shook the Baron's words from her mind; that monster was dead. Thinking of that conversation was a distraction—she had to focus. She had to find Cole.

She heard Wu make a sound next to her, and she felt a flash of hope. Had he found him? She searched deeper, pushing her aura further. All at once she felt a glimmer of something familiar. She focused more, pressing into that glimmer until she gave a gasp of relief. It was him. The kid had been right…she did know.

She sent her aura racing to where she had detected him, and felt it crash into something. Outwardly she clenched her fists as she mentally locked on. She felt Wu's grip tighten on her hand; it was time to pull him back. At first there was resistance, but she ground her teeth and pulled harder. Suddenly, her aura was flying back to her. She felt backwards as it hit home, her eyes popping open as she threw her hands back to steady herself. Next to her, Wu had also opened his eyes.

The ninja crowded around them as everyone looked at the figure on the ground.

"Did…it work?" Kai asked. Keyda had a hard time breathing…what if it hadn't? Or what if something had gone _wrong?_

Cole made a small sound and his eyelids flickered. Jay shoved the others out of the way to get in close.

"Ok, move it, _best friend_ coming through…" He looked intently at Cole's face. "Cole! Buddy! Are you alive? Are you…you know… _good_ still…?

Cole's face contorted and he groaned as he cracked his eyes open.

"…Jay?"

"OK…so he knows my name…that's a good sign…"

Cole closed his eyes again as he kept talking.

"You know…I've been through a lot over the last few days…the least you could do is let me sleep in for once."

The ninja all laughed in relief, and Keyda closed her eyes and smiled. He was back. At least, he seemed to be. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over to see Wu smiling gratefully.

"Thank you."

Behind them, Cole yelled out as his three friends dog-piled him.

"GETOFFGETOFFGETOFF!"

The ninja backed off sheepishly while he glared at them from the ground.

"Pretty sure that most of me is still broken…so you're going to have to find other ways of showing how much you appreciate me." he said dryly, wincing as he sat up. His gaze suddenly moved past them and he caught sight of the Oni.

"Keyda?"

She looked over at him, unsure of what to say.

"Heya, Idiot. Seems like you're still with us after all."

He chuckled, shaking his head; mainly he was just happy to see that she had somehow escaped the Baron. Speaking of which…

"Wait…what happened to the Baron?" He looked around and noticed the hordes of Dragon and Oni gazing up at them. "Aaaand why are all those guys staring at us? How long have I been out?"

Jay slapped him on the shoulder, causing him to cringe. "You kinda missed a lot, but basically the Baron was trying to turn you evil and Wu is the Dragon Master…"

"Wait, what?!" Cole looked over and noticed the Golden Samauri for the first time.

"…and we killed the Baron but now the Elder Dragon is on a murderous rampage…"

"Wait…slow down, the Baron is dead? And which dragon?"

"Oh yeah, you never met him. He's old…like _really_ old and he did all this bad stuff that I honestly still don't actually understand…OH and the price that we all agreed to was that we can't ever _leave here…"_

Zane patted Jay on the shoulder. "Maybe we should just deal with one thing at a time, Jay…" the nindroid cautioned, while Cole layed back down and closed his eyes in defeat.

"You know…I think things were a lot simpler when I was dead."

Wu chuckled nearby.

"Perhaps…but there is still more for us to do in the living realms." His smile faded as he studied Cole. "Can you stand?"

The black ninja grunted, eyes still closed.

"Do I have to try?"

"C'mon, we'll help you." Kai said as he and Zane each took one of his arms. Cole grimaced as he rose.

"Alright…I'm standing. Happy?" He looked over at Wu, but his golden-wearing sensei had turned away from him to the crowds below.

"Do you now see that it is possible? That by joining together we can truly change this realm for the better?"

Cole looked at Zane. "I guess it's probably not even worth me asking what the heck is going on right now?"

His nindroid friend smiled, but his eyes were flicking across the crowd below them, analyzing reactions.

"Just know it's all part of the plan." Kai answered from his other side.

 _Harumi_

Harumi twisted the screwdriver one last time and typed in the reboot code. A few seconds later Mr. E's characteristic red eyes opened and blinked a few times.

"Welcome back." she said dryly, putting the screwdriver away. "If you didn't already figure it out…your plan didn't work very well."

"I will track them down, Empress," Mr. E said, sitting up. Her icy expression didn't change.

"Yes…you'd better. Otherwise I may not fix you the next time you have a little _accident._ " Mr. E bowed in acknowledgment and went to leave. However, Ultra Violet rushed into the room and crashed into him, sending the nindroid flying.

"Careful…I just finished fixing him…" Harumi said coldly, but Ultra Violet's eyes looked wilder than usual.

"Boss! It's the Emperor…he insists on seeing you!"

Harumi raised an eyebrow, interest peaked. She rushed from the room and through the hallways of Borg tower, happy that she was getting summoned at last. She paused briefly outside of his room and then remembered what happened last time. She pushed the door open, hoping she was exuding both confidence and meekness for the Emperor. She expected him to look eager or maniacal…instead he looked furious.

"Your honor…what is wrong?" she asked, surprised. He looked up from where he was brooding, purple smoke billowing around him.

"We must start preparations right away…"

"Yes…of course…but why now _?"_

He stood and Harumi did her best not to shrink from his foreboding stature.

"He's still alive…he hasn't faded away…"

"Me liege…are you talking about Lloyd? Because I promise you we are _on_ that…"

"NO, FOOL," he spat, and Harumi felt herself flush. Garmadon had never spoken to her like that before. He took a step closer, his tone becoming patronizing.

"When you took me from the departed realm, you split my soul. That is why only the worst parts of me came back. But the rest of my soul is still _out there!"_

"Where?" she asked, as baffled as she was offended by his tone.

"Limbo." Garmadon turned, walking to the nearby window. He gazed out on the city. "He should have faded away long before now there…it is nothing but a void. But he has somehow managed to beat the odds and remains conscience there."

"I see," Harumi said, her mind feeling cloudy. "I understand that could pose a problem should he ever return…but Master, there are only a handful of rebels left, and none of them possess the _power…"_

"You are wrong." He cut her off, his voice icy. She blinked and bit her lip to keep from saying anything. Did Lloyd have some army that he had managed to keep off the radar?

"What do you mean?"

"The ninja are still alive…as is my brother. They are merely trapped in another realm, but are working their way back into this one."

Harumi felt like she had been hit by a truck. The ninja…alive? It was impossible! She had witnessed their deaths _firsthand!_ Garmadon had to be mistaken…but she wouldn't dare suggest it.

"But how do you _know?!"_

He finally turned away from the window, his gaze burning with hatred.

"Because one of them just made contact with the part of me in limbo…and told him everything."

 _ **63**_

"They weren't so tough…" Nya commented, pulling her spear out of the last security droid. "Now, how about we go find our friends, track down the armor, and destroy those masks once and for all?"

"Sounds good to me…" Lloyd said, but he seemed distracted as they made their way through the dirt tunnel.

"You ok?"

"Yeah…this just seems familiar. I think this was in my training, actually."

"Well, that's a relief…that means you know what comes next!" Nya said but Lloyd just frowned.

"It's so foggy…in fact, the only thing I can actually remember is…" he trailed off and turned around suddenly. Nya turned as well, just in time to see a giant boulder hurtling towards them.

"THAT!" he yelled, before taking off running. Nya was a half a second behind him.

"You couldn't have given me a little more warning?!" she yelled as they ran. Unfortunately, the tunnel lead downhill and the boulder was gaining momentum.

"I told you I didn't remember much! Stop picking a fight and _run!"_

Elder

The Elder Dragon roared in frustration.

 _You have always been nothing but traitorous scum! You were meant to bring the child back centuries ago…and instead you sided with him, playing bodyguard to the very tomes that were stolen from us!_

The Ultra Dragon glared with all four heads. It clearly didn't see things the same way that the Elder did. The fight had been going on for a while now, and both Dragons were reaching a state of exhaustion. The Elder dropped heavily onto a rock formation, and the Ultra Dragon hovered over him, willing the old leader to yield. The Elder looked up, pained.

 _Alright…alright…I yield._

The Ultra-Dragon landed nearby, seeming relieved. The Elder Dragon struggled on shaking legs to rise.

 _Please…help me…_

The Ultra Dragon had no reason to doubt the Elder's intentions…a Dragon's word was law. Yet as it closed in to assist the elderly leader, the Elder flared suddenly, clamping onto one of its necks and throwing the Ultra Dragon into the side of a neighboring Rock Formation with strength that belied his wizened build.

The Ultra Dragon hit hard, breaking through the formation. The Elder watched with burning eyes as the prophesied mount of the Dragon Master tumbled to the earth, buried by the falling rocks. He did not feel guilt…there was too much at stake right now to feel guilt.

He took to the skies and flew towards the battle. He could tell that the fighting had stopped, and he felt the familiar burn of rage inside. How dare the Dragons stop before each Oni was wiped from the earth! He noticed a formation topped with colorful figures, both dragon and human alike. It was time for all of this nonsense to end.

The blue Guardian spotted him first and called the warning. The Elemental Guardians immediately closed in protectively around their respective masters. However, that only left the Elder's true target all the more in the open.

Wu tried to dodge his grasp, but there was nowhere for the Dragon Master to run. The Elder rose over the formation with the Golden Samurai clutched tightly in his claws. He looked down at the glaring masters below him.

 _You colorful fools…did you really think I'd allow you to ruin centuries of planning?_ His grip around Wu tightened, causing him to yell out as his powers flashed protectively.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Kai yelled out, firing flames as Jay and Zane launched attacks nearby. The Elder merely flew up and out of range of their attacks. He turned to the throngs of Dragon and Oni, all watching in shock.

 _Dragon Nation! Do not tell me you were fooled by this Disappointment._ He crushed Wu again for emphasis. _The Oni leader is dead...now is the time for us to strike and finally accomplish our plans for this realm…_

"NO!" Jay yelled down at them. "This guy is a _LIAR!"_

But the Dragons seemed to be listening to the Elder. They had waited many centuries to be rid of the Oni…now truly was their chance.

 _Join with me now…let us first eradicate these colorful vermin from our realm, and then we shall destroy the Oni!_

"NO!" Wu yelled from his grip. But the Dragons were already taking to the sky. Soon the formation was surrounded, and the ninja and their guardians looked around warily.

"Ok… I'm still pretty lost…but this looks like a bad situation," Cole said. "Why does this guy want us dead?"

"He wants _me_ dead," Keyda corrected, coming up to stand beside him. "Me and all the Oni."

"You cannot do this!" Wu yelled, pleading with the surrounding Dragons. The Elder's grip became painful once again and Wu turned to the traitorous leader. "You cannot destroy them…you said yourself that they must stay in this realm…"

 _Yes…and they will. They will remain part of the Dragon Nation until their deaths, which will be occurring very shortly. Then the Elements within them will be returned to us._

"If you destroy the Oni than you will destroy this realm! There must be Oni power present for it to continue to exist, _you know that!"_ Wu yelled against the strain from the talons.

The Elder hesitated, and the surrounding dragons looked at him questioningly. He began to chuckle as he looked down at the glowering Samurai.

You _have Oni in you, as your father did. As long as we have you, the Oni force_ will _be present in this realm…we do not need to spare any of the monsters._ The Dragons roared hungrily while the Elder's prey fought in vain in his grasp.

 _Pity…you could have ruled at my side, Dragon Master. Now you shall watch your students die before spending the rest of your existence in confinement._

On the formation, the ninja had taken defensive stances. Kai turned to Zane.

"Ok…how many of them are there?"

"I have detected 73 dragons…"

Kai nodded slowly. "Yeah, ok…that's not too bad. That's only like…what, 7-ish dragons per one of us, if we include the guardians…"

"8.1, to be exact."

"8.1…yeah, no sweat…" Kai said, trying to sound confident. Jay looked at him like he was crazy.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? These aren't your average snakes or nindroids or even flipping immortal vermillion warriors, Kai…THEY'RE DRAGONS! HUGE, TOOTHY, FIRE-BREATHING _DRAGONS_! And I'm betting Cole doesn't last through just _one_ of them!"

"Gee…thanks for the confidence, Jay," Cole muttered, having taken his own defensive stance. But he knew his friend was right; the only reason he was even standing right now was through sheer obstinance. He figured that at least when he was dead he could finally take a day off.

 _Dragons…_ the Elder began, ready to call in the attack. The Elemental Guardians opened their wings, preparing themselves as well.

"WAIT!" it was Keyda who yelled out, and the Dragons looked down at her in disgust. She glowered at the Elder Dragon. "You would kill the Elemental Guardians? You would harm your _own?"_

The Dragons looked at the Elder for his response. His eyes flashed.

 _If they were to choose to leave the outsiders behind, then there would be no need to…_

"They cannot leave their masters…they are bound to protect them," Wu pointed out, and the Elder sneered. Keyda began yelling once again.

"You would destroy your own…just as you have done in the past! You killed Antirock!"

This caused confusion in the ranks of the Dragons and the Elder roared in frustration.

 _This Oni witch is a liar! Just as Echo was…why would you give any thought to anything she has to say?!_

"It's the truth!" Wu called out. He gasped at the pain in his ribs as the Elder tried to silence him. "He told me himself" he managed to choke out.

 _You would say any lie to save your wayward students…nothing out of your mouth can be believed either. Now Dragons…DESTROY THEM ALL._

The Dragons went to launch the attack, but a sudden flash of blue and the Elder's own voice caused them to pause.

 _I did what I had to do to ensure our Nation would succeed in the end._

The video emitting from Zane showed the Elder clearly, and the Dragons couldn't help but watch this strange and intriguing display. Wu's voice came next from the video.

" _You forced Antirock to make that prophecy...you forced him to seal it with his life…"_

 _It was not easy to convince him…the witch's poison had tainted him deeply and she had filled his head with all kinds of nonsense. But I was able to use her against him._

The Elder roared in fury. _DESTROY THEM!_ But the video continued.

 _"You really are as manipulative as the Baron!"_ Zane's voice came through.

 _It was a necessary sacrifice. I was able to ensure we would once again have the child which had been smuggled from my grasp…as well as the elemental powers that the child had stolen from us. Combined, these would reveal the Dragon Master, who would usher in the reign of whichever side he was compelled to join._

The Dragon master launched an attack on Zane himself, but Keyda threw a purple orb that dispelled the discolored blast.

"It's like he said…your magic is tarnished with hatred. Your own words have exposed your traitorous past!" she yelled. The dragons looked at the Elder with confusion. How could it be true?

 _You must not believe what you have seen! It is nothing but an Oni TRICK! It is impossible to show events as they have truly happened!_

The video immediately changed, showing the very scene they were living in. The Elder's voice came through the video: _You must not believe what you have seen! It is nothing but an Oni TRICK! It is impossible to show events as they have truly happened!_

Keyda turned to address the wavering army.

"I know that I am not someone you would ever trust, but _look around you!_ Look at what the Elder would have you do! Destroy us? Destroy your guardians? Isn't destruction what you despise so much in us?

"I know that it seems like a union couldn't be possible…but aren't you tired of following directions from someone like _him…_ tarnished and twisted? I have spent my entire life under the thumb of a villain who used me, my kind, and Dragons alike to accomplish his own twisted agenda. But now he's _gone!_ For once in my life I have hope that the rest of my life can be better…happy, even. Are you really willing to throw that all away to listen to the orders of another tyrant?"

 _KILL HER NOW_

A few Dragons launched an attack on Keyda, but for the most part the army seemed less eager to follow the Elder's desperate demands. Keyda was able to dodge a few of the fire blasts, and shots from the Ninja blocked the rest. However, the Elder Himself launched an attack that would have hit home had Cole not barreled into her, knocking them both across the formation and out of the way of the blast. They came to a stop, both coughing in the settling dust.

Cole wheezed painfully. "Yep…that hurt…that hurt a lot." Keyda pulled herself up and glared at him.

"You _Idiot…_ what were you thinking?!"

His eyes were closed. "I think you pronounced 'thank you' wrong." She punched him in the shoulder, hard, causing him to gasp in pain and open his eyes.

"HEY! I'm INJURED!"

"Which is something _you_ seem to have forgotten!" she hissed.

 _I will not stand for this indecision in my ranks!_ The Elder was fuming as he addressed his army. _Destroy them NOW or you shall all face my wrath!_

Not surprisingly, his words only caused the Dragons to hesitate more.

"How are we gonna stop that guy?" Jay asked. He was glad to note that the dragons seemed less keen on killing them all…but the Elder still had Wu and was getting more unstable by the minute.

 _The Dragons must accept the Dragon Master as their rightful ruler…ousting the Elder from that position._ His dragon's voice came from behind him. Jay whirled around.

"Oh, _that_ would have been really helpful to know before now!" The dragon regarded him with a dry expression.

 _What do you think the Dragon Master has been trying to accomplish this entire time?_

"You know this is wrong!" Zane called up to the Dragons. "If you destroy everyone today it will not bring peace...it will rip this world apart!"

 _KILL THEM!_ The armor around Wu creaked as the Elder's grasp constricted dangerously. Wu fought for breath.

"You're killing him! You are killing the _true_ Dragon Master!" Kai yelled. He turned to the dragons. "You all seem to believe in this prophecy thing…but that prophecy named him the Dragon _MASTER_ for a reason! He will lead you into peace!"

 _NO…this boy is nothing…he is merely a means to an end. I will lead us to peace in the only way there has ever been!_

A new roar split the sky as the Ultra Dragon launched itself through the Dragon's ranks. They dodged out of the way and soon the four headed beast had a clear shot for the Elder. It hit hard and their battle was begun anew.

"We have to get Wu away from him!" Jay yelled, but he turned to see that Kai and Zane were already on their dragons. He scrambled to his own dragon and the three of them took to the skies.

"How are we gonna do this?" Kai asked as they approached the two warring creatures. They could make out the glint of Wu's armor…he seemed limp. "I think Wu is passed out up there!"

A blast of lightening hit the Elder and he roared as it coursed through his body. Kai and Zane spun to glare at Jay.

"Yeah…you're really helping Wu with that…" Kai said, and Jay smiled sheepishly.

"What? He's already passed out…"

The Ultra Dragon slammed the Elder up against a rock formation. Zane called out to his companions.

"Now's our chance!"

The Elder tried to fight back but an ice blast froze his arm to the rock. He ripped it off only to have the Ultra Dragon pin it back down with its own claws

The Guardian Dragons moved in and Zane looked at Kai.

"Aim for the wrist…it should cause a spasm that will force the claws open…"

"Whatever you say metal man," Kai replied, and then yelled as his dragon charged. When he was within range he fired a shot that hit the Elder in the wrist. The Ancient creature howled in pain and the claws open enough for Wu to slip out.

"Got him!" Jay called out as Wu landed on the blue Guardian. "Now what?" His dragon, however, was already flying back to the rock formation where the army waited.

The ninja landed on one side of the formation, next to Keyda, Cole, and the Earth Dragon. Seconds later the Ultra Dragon threw the Elder on the other side. He was looking even more haggard than usual, but his eyes burned with loathing.

The Ultra-Dragon turned to the army, which had been watching to see how this all would end. He roared in anger. The dragons all bristled, including the elemental guardians.

"What's he saying?" Kai asked, turning to his Guardian.

 _The Elder violated our code. A Dragon's word is law but he attacked the Ultra Dragon after agreeing to yield._

"You know…that doesn't even surprise me," the fire ninja muttered, looking at the worn-down Dragon leader.

The Ultra-Dragon continued to address the crowd of dragons. The ninja gathered around Wu, who seemed to be coming to. He sat up with a groan, taking in his dented and mangled armor.

"Well…we're all alive at least…" he looked over at where the Ultra-Dragon was. "What is he saying?"

 _He's calling a vote._ The Elemental Guardians all spoke at once. The ninja passed on the message and Wu frowned thoughtfully.

"Then it will soon be decided…"

 _ **64**_

"There's no way that the dragons would pick him over Wu now, right?" Kai asked, looking over at the Elder dragon while the Ultra continued to roar at the reptilian crowd. "I mean…who would willingly pick a corrupt leader?"

"There is more to the decision than just morals," Zane said, trying to calculate how the vote would go down.

"What do you mean?" Cole was standing again, one arm around Keyda for support.

"The dragons aren't so much choosing between a good and bad ruler, they are choosing between following their destined leader or following a leader who would allow them to accomplish their centuries-long goal of Oni eradication," the Nindroid continued, wishing that Dragon expressions were not so hard to read.

Cole's arm tightened protectively around Keyda's shoulders. She looked over at him, thinking that he must be on the verge of collapsing again. His expression was serious.

"Hey…you ok?" she asked. He glanced over at her and then back at Zane.

"What happens if we lose? And they chose the other guy?"

"Then we go back to being _super hooped!"_ Jay answered, glowering at the dragons in the crowd above them. Was there really any way to survive if they decided to attack? He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Wu. The Golden Samauri was smiling but Jay could see the worry behind the expression.

"We must hang on to hope, Ninja…it may be the only chance we have left,"

"Oh yeah…real comforting, Wu…" Jay muttered. The Ultra-Dragon had stopped speaking and had come to stand behind Wu, signaling its vote. The blue ninja bit his lip; this was the moment of truth, then.

The crowd of dragons looked between the Elder and Wu. Jay nudged his sensei.

"Say something…make them pick your side…" Wu shook his head and turned to his students.

"Neither I nor the Elder can say anything more at this point. We must wait to see what the decision is,"

"…I hate waiting…" Jay groused.

The Elemental Dragons moved to stand behind Wu as well, causing the dragon army to become more conflicted. A few dragons drifted closer towards the Golden Samurai, but their movement caused a few more angrier-looking dragons to land decidedly on the Elder's side.

"Not looking good…" Kai murmured. His fists clenched and started smoldering.

"Cut that out," Keyda snapped. "If you attack them, hothead, I doubt they'll come join our side…"

Kai glared at her but his hands extinguished. Cole glanced between the two; there was enough tension in this situation without them trying to kill each other again. He hoped that Kai would calm down; he wasn't sure he would be able to step in again if they started going for each other's throats. Besides… he already knew who would win if they did.

Those first few dragons seemed to have broken the spell over the army and they began making their decisions. Jay let out a sigh of relief as he watched dragons choose their side. Zane's face was unreadable as he kept count of the dragons going in either direction.

"Are we winning?" Jay whispered loudly to the nindroid. Zane didn't answer, not wanting to lose count.

"It's not going to be enough…" Keyda muttered. There seemed to be a lot of dragons joining the Elder's side, and each seemed to be glaring at her specifically. She wondered if Wu's plan would have worked if she hadn't been such a blatant part of his side.

Cole squeezed her shoulder and she looked at him, unamused. He gave her a small smile back.

"You've really got to try thinking more positively…I didn't narrowly escape death all those times just to die now…"

He waited for a sarcastic reply but the Oni's face just became more troubled and her supportive grip around his waist grew tighter.

The final dragons landed and the ninja all held their breath, looking at Zane. He ran through the algorithms in his mind one last time. He physically relaxed as he turned to them.

"We won…there are more dragons on our side…"

Everyone let out their breath. Jay glanced over at the Elder. "So…what now? We don't still have to do battle…right?"

 _The Elder has been outvoted. Dragon Law goes by majority._ The Elemental Dragons talked at once. The Dragons on the Elder's side looked angry, but also resigned. They hated the Oni. However, to go against the Dragon law was more of a betrayal of Dragon Nature than the decision not to destroy the pale monsters. Those in the front of the Elder's group went to move towards Wu, but the Elder lashed out with both fire and tail and his supporters balked. He turned towards the ninja and Keyda felt a stab of fear as she saw the calculating malice on the Ancient Dragon's face…it was the same expression that had been haunting her her entire life.

 _I will not allow you to destroy everything I have worked towards. I will not stop fighting until every Oni is_ dead…

Wu was not fazed. "You have been defeated…you no longer lead this nation. It is time for you to align yourself with the Dragon Laws or we will be forced to destroy _you,"_

The Elder laughed at this. _You may have won the vote…but Dragon law or no, there is no way the Dragons would a fight for a human and his Oni pet against one of their own…_ He took a few threatening steps forward.

Cole used his supported arm to push Keyda backwards.

"Get behind me."

She just shook her head. "Why? So you can collapse in some stupid attempt to be a gentleman?"

"I'm serious…" he looked back at her with a determined expression and she shook her head at his stubbornness.

"Seriously stupid." She muttered.

Meanwhile Wu was standing his ground while the dragon nation seemed to tense up.

"You cannot win," he yelled at the Elder, who roared back. He had made it halfway between the two groups. There was a sudden flash of color and the Elder found himself surrounded by the four Elemental Dragons.

 _Fools…what are you doing?_

But the Elemental Dragons had witnessed enough of their previous ruler's treachery. They were bound to protect and never harm their leader…but this ancient beast no longer could claim that role over them. The Elder snarled, turning to his supporters behind him.

 _You must not let them do this…if those colorful vermin win then the Oni will never be destroyed!_ The dragons looked away, causing him to roar in frustration. He turned to Wu one last time.

 _It will never work…you will never find peace your way. Your interference has spelled doom for this entire realm!_

The Elemental Masters began firing into the center of the circle and the Elder screeched as the four elements combined around him.

"What are they doing?" Jay asked as he watched the elements splash and combine in transfixing ways. "Are they killing him?"

"The elements combined form pure power…if the Elder was pure than this joined attack would not harm him," Wu explained, eyes on the display. "But he has allowed hate and revenge corrupt him…"

"Then the effect will be much as it was for the Baron," Zane mused. Wu's frown deepened.

"It will either purify or destroy him. To save himself from destruction he must be willing to release his desire for revenge and destruction. It is his choice to make."

The ninja watched as the Elder thrashed against the light. The dragon army looked away, not wanting to watch the destruction of their former leader.

Keyda watched, feeling numb. She would have thought she'd feel happy…or at least relieved. But as she watched the Elder fight against the light she felt strangely distant.

The Elder released one last incensed cry and even the Oni looked away. Then suddenly there was silence.

The Elemental Guardians closed their mouths; there was nothing left to fire upon. As the light faded everyone realized that the sun had gone down at some point; the ninja looked at each other in the dusk lighting.

Wu walked over to the guardians and gazed sadly at the empty spot surrounded by Guardians.

"Stubborn old reptile…" he muttered. But it seemed that the Elder had been past saving. Hate was a destructive force…no matter what race you were part of.

"I think this means we _won!"_ Jay yelled, laughing with relief. He immediately turned to the nearest person to start a group hug.

Unfortunately for him the closest person was Keyda; having never experienced a hug before she punched him in the face and neatly stopped the attack she was sure he was launching.

Cole burst into laughter, though his amusement was tainted by the pain in his ribs. Zane chuckled as well and even Kai was laughing.

"Well I'm glad my _pain_ gives you all so much _joy!"_ Jay yelled bitterly from the ground, where he had promptly dropped after the point-blank blow. He struggled to his feet with a hand over one eye and glared at Cole, who was doubled over.

" _Stop Jay…it hurts…"_ Cole panted between laughs. His friend glared at him.

"Well it serves you right!" He turned and glared at Keyda, who was looking at all of them like they had gone mad.

" _What was that for?!"_

She rolled her eyes. " _You_ attacked _me…_ "

" _Attacked?!"_ Jay was dumbfounded, and Cole started another round of laughing. "Haven't you ever heard of a celebratory _hug woman?!"_

"Calm yourselves, ninja, it is not quite time for celebrating yet." Wu had come to stand by them, sounding serious. The ninja turned to face him, everyone's expressions serious except for Cole, whose deadpan slipped into chuckles every time he glanced at Jay.

"What is left to be done, Sensei?" Zane asked. Wu looked around at all of the Dragons, who were still watching him warily. They had voted him as their leader by majority, but only because of the obvious corruptness shown by the Elder. They were still unsure of these strange colorful outsiders.

"I thank you for your loyalty…I know that change is not easy. But I would hope that under all your hope of revenge is a deeper hope for peace, because it is peace that I am fighting for. The final battle has been fought…though I believe it's safe to say that it was a little different than we were all expecting," Wu's tired voice betrayed his true age despite his youthful appearance.

"You are all free to head back to Dragon Haven...the rest of what must be done is not something you can help with."

Some of the creatures looked affronted at Wu's dismissal, though many of the dragons looked relieved. Peace was the ultimate goal…and the dragons couldn't help but feel that maybe this strange golden outsider of legend would be the key to it after all. At this point, he was their only hope.

The ninja watched as the dragons flew away.

"You never answered my question…" Zane pointed out and Wu turned to face his students.

"We may have won over the dragons…but there is an entire other side to this war," he stated simply. His gaze travelled into the distance and the Ninja turned to see what he was looking at. Little campfires dotted the horizon as the Oni made camp.

"Wait…we have to win over the Oni too?!" Jay asked. There was always some catch! "We wanted to break up the battle…we did that by sending the Dragons home!"

"True peace will never be accomplished until both nations are joined as one," Wu said, his tone making it clear that there was no room for argument.

"But how on earth are you going to win over the _Oni?!"_ Kai asked. The Golden Samurai turned to face Keyda.

"Why are you looking at _me?"_ She asked, shaking her head a little.

"The Oni are not going to listen to me on my own, Keyda. They need someone else that they can trust. You are the first Oni in a long while to connect with the powers of the past…"

"That doesn't mean that any of them will listen to me!" she pointed out, voice rising. "I was just the Baron's puppet, someone on the lowest rung of power. I'm the last person…"

"I think you would be surprised," Wu said. His voice was calm but his gaze was piercing; Keyda found her arguments trail off.

"You said you would be willing to help…and this is where we need it the most," the Dragon Master pressed gently. "Without your help, everything _will_ fall apart. But together I'm sure we can do what Antirock and Echo had dreamed of centuries ago. The Oni will listen to you…"

"Or things could get out of hand," Cole stepped in, defensively. "It's too risky; she's not going."

"That is not your decision to make," Wu turned back to the Oni. "But you are free to decide, Keyda."

She stared at the ground, thinking. She didn't want to face the Oni; surely they would never listen to her. But she had already seen enough impossible things happen with these outsiders…and wasn't change what she had been fighting for all along?

"Alright…" she said quietly.

Wu smiled in relief. "We must act quickly." He pulled himself up onto the Ultra Dragon and held out a hand for Keyda. She went to take it but felt a tug on her other hand and turned to see a determined looking Cole.

"Then I'm coming too," he said resolutely. She sighed.

"To do what? Slow us down?" she asked dryly. She didn't make eye contact as she pulled her hand free. "You're in no shape to come."

"I'm sorry Cole," Wu called from his higher perch. "This is a mission I cannot take you ninja on."

Cole was not pleased as he watched Keyda board the Ultra-Dragon.

"Just…just try not to hurt anyone." he called up to her. She smiled a bit as the dragon spread its wings.

"Why don't _you_ try to stay out of a coma?"

He laughed without humor and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah…bad habit of mine…"

The Dragon took off and headed towards the Oni camp. Jay, Kai, and Zane watched it go and then looked at Cole, who seemed frozen as he watched the creature grow smaller. Jay leaned over to Kai.

"You know…at first it was funny…but now I don't really know how to feel about it…"

The fire ninja shuddered and looked away.

"Quite frankly, I just try not to think about it…"

 _ **65**_

Zane poked at the campfire, rotating small sticks around. There wasn't much firewood in this realm, but they had scrounged up enough for the night. They had decided to stay on top of the formation…mainly because Jay was afraid something would sneak up on them in the night if they stayed on the ground. It had been a long while since any of them had gotten a decent night's sleep and Zane had offered to stand watch for Wu as his three friends caught up on some much needed rest. He turned and noticed that the spot next to Kai and Jay was empty. It took the nindroid a few minutes to pick out Cole since his dark hair and Gi blended in with the night. Zane made his way over to the edge of the formation and took a seat next to him.

"Considering everything you have been through, I don't think you are doing yourself any favors by staying awake…"

Cole gave a little shrug. "I feel like I've spent more of the last few days out of consciousness than in it…I guess I'd rather just spend some time awake for once."

They sat silently, looking out to where the campfires dotted the horizon. There was no sign of a returning dragon.

"You could probably go get some sleep, Zane. I can keep an eye out."

"Sleep is nice…but being nindroid, I don't necessarily need it. I will stay up too…we can keep each other company."

Cole gave another half shrug. "Suit yourself."

The nindroid looked over at his friend. "You are worried about her, aren't you?"

"Who, Keyda?" Cole scoffed. "Nah…it's the other Oni I'm worried about…"

"She means a lot to you." It was statement, not a question. Cole bristled.

"Are you kidding? If she isn't insulting me she's _physically hurting_ me…."

Zane did not look convinced as he continued to stare at his friend. Cole ignored his gaze for a while but finally sighed.

"Fine…I'm worried about her. _Happy now?"_

"I do not know why you are being so defensive. It is clear she has feelings for you as well," Zane said matter-of-factly.

"What tipped you off? The fact that she hasn't killed me yet?" Cole asked dryly. Zane shook his head.

"No. The fact that she wouldn't leave your side the whole time you were…in limbo,"

Cole went quiet. Finally he sighed. "Yeah…well I wouldn't know. I was too busy floating in a grey void of nothingness with…" suddenly he straightened up, as if remembering something.

"Wait…you were conscious of the fact you were in Limbo?" Zane asked, but Cole turned to him in almost a panic.

"ZANE…I just remembered who I was with in Limbo….quick, how did you guys wake me up?!"

Zane blinked, caught off guard. "It was Wu…Wu and Keyda did it. But Cole…who were you with?"

 _Skylor_

P.I.X.A.L's processors were functioning at a rapid rate as she tried to figure out a solution to their new problem.

"Pix?! Have you found the panel yet?" Skylor called out. P.I.X.A.L looked up with a firm expression.

"It is not in here…"

" _What?!"_

"…so it must be up there somewhere. You will have to find it…"

"ME? Pix, I have no idea how to…"

"We don't have time for you to doubt yourself," the android replied sharply. "We must find the panel…" she scanned the room again and located the small ducts that no doubt would release gas in a few more minutes. She pinpointed the duct in her mental scanned map and did an in-depth scan of the walls near the ducts. She found the pipes connected to the gas.

"Maybe we don't have to hack the control panel to stop the gas…if you can find where the gas itself is being held and neutralize it at its source, it should still get rid of the threat."

"Ok…" Skylor tried her best to sound more confident. "Any idea where the gas is?"

P.I.X.A.L did her best to scan and trace the pipes in the wall and the path they took.

"Wait…but if I leave I'll have to drop the rope. Is it safe for you to be down there on your own?" Skylor asked, interrupting P.I.X.A.L's thoughts.

"Quickly lower me to the floor, there does not appear to be any other threats…" P.I.X.A.L instructed. When she reached the ground she untied herself.

"Now hurry Skylor, based on my analysis, the pipes are leading to a room a few halls away from here. You will have to get there on your own, hurry, but be wary of traps…"

"Um…yeah, ok," Skylor said, heading to the end of the hall. She paused.

"P.I.X…do I turn right or left?!"

"Turn Right, head down the hall, then make the next two lefts…" P.I.X.A.L's voice called out from in the room. Skylor turned right and began running down the hallway. As she ran she dodged the random blow-darts and swinging axes that came her way. Seriously…Borg had gone way too overboard with this security! She grunted in pain as one dart grazed her shoulder and decided to slide down the rest of the hall. She rounded the corner of the "second left" from P.I.X.A.L's instructions, hoping to find some kind of door or sign…but instead she was faced with another identical hallway. She groaned; had she followed the directions wrong? Or had P.I.X.A.L miscalculated? Or was the room there… but hidden? She began hitting the walls and yelling, but nothing happened. Adrenaline and frustration were battling for control; they were going to fail because she didn't have any idea what to do next. She hit the wall one last time, hard, and stopped yelling. It was silent for a few moments as she breathed heavily and tried desperately to think of what to do. She could get back to Pix, but by then the gas would probably be released…

She suddenly heard a hissing noise and looked up, trying to figure out where it was coming from. She put her head against the wall and could hear something hissing on the other side. More snakes?

"The gas!" she muttered under her breath. Could the room be behind a fake wall? But the hissing meant that the gas was starting to get released. And how would she know where the room was? If the piping was on this side of the hall, the room probably was too…

She ran over to the other side of the hall way, pulling out her crossbow. She fired a line of bolts at the wall. Each bolt struck the wall and stuck out. She continued to make her way down the hall, continuing the line of bolts until one finally went all the way through. She smiled slightly; there was the fake wall.

She realized with a start that she was feeling light-headed; was the gas going through the whole stronghold rather than just the armor room? She held her breath and ran over to the hole in the wall, peering through. She was relieved to see that there was indeed a room; she could see a few flickering lights. She took a step back and began ramming her good shoulder up against the wall until it finally gave way. Black dots danced in the corner of her eyes as she quickly scanned the room; there was a large machine that resembled a water heater in the corner. She staggered to the machine; this had to be what was pumping the sleeping gas…surely there was some kind of valve or something she could twist to turn it off, right?! She was desperate for air by this point and she spotted a little turning valve near the small pipes branching off from the machine. She grasped it, but then panicked as she realized she didn't know which direction she should turn it…one would release more gas, the other would shut it off. She knew she should have asked P.I.X.A.L before she got to this point. She also figured she was on the verge of passing out…she needed to pick a direction…and fast.

 _Keyda_

Keyda was already regretting her decision. Convincing the Oni to join with the Dragons was an impossible feat...and the fact that _she_ was supposedly the one who would help do it made it all the more ludicrous.

"It will work out…I promise." The Dragon Master said from in front of her, as if reading her mind.

"How do you know?"

He was quiet for a minute before turning back towards her. "Because it has to."

She didn't really feel like that was a qualifying reason, but she didn't push it more. They were approaching the campground when another thought struck her. She talked quickly, wanting an answer from the Golden boy before they landed and she lost her chance.

"Let's say everything you're planning works out. Will…will you all head back to your own realm then?"

Wu was silent and she wanted to shake him and make him answer her. They would be landing soon.

"You're the leader of the Dragons now…surely you guys can't _leave_ …"

"I really do want to bring peace to this realm. But that doesn't mean that I am not also dedicated to bringing it to the one I left."

She wasn't sure if he was being ambiguous on purpose or if that was just the way with him. Either way it was extremely annoying. The Ultra-Dragon landed silently and she found herself looking around for Oni. It didn't take her long for to find some.

"Well, well….looks like the Dragon Master has come to pay us a visit…" one said bitterly. The Dragon was surrounded by Oni with expressions that betrayed both loathing and fear. Keyda realized that they wanted to destroy Wu…but they were also terrified of him.

"Indeed," the Dragon Master replied, dismounting. "But I come in peace…"

" _Peace?!"_ Another Oni, heavyset, spat. "That's certainly not what the legends say…"

"And Legends are not always as they appear to be," Wu interjected. He turned to the growing crowd of Oni, which were gripping weapons uncertainly. "Please. I am now the leader of the Dragons…"

"Then we ought to capture ya!" A Oni yelled from the front line. This one looked less afraid than her neighbors. "We control you, we control the dragons…"

" _Wrong."_ Wu said firmly. The Ultra Dragon growled threatening with all four heads as the Oni took steps forward. "The truth is that I am the only thing standing in the way of the Dragons destroying you. I meant what I said before…true peace will only ever be reached if the two nations join together. If you capture me…or even kill me…it will only mean that some other Dragon will take my place. And chances are they would be in favor of destroying you."

"Why should we trust you?!" A voice called, its owner lost in the crowd. "The Dragons do nothing but lie!"

"Hear hear!" Another voice agreed.

Wu considered the crowd, growing more rowdy by the minute. He clenched his jaw; they had come too far to fail now.

"Did you not see the Dragons _leave?_ They are headed back to Dragon Haven…"

"A dirty dragon trick!"

"What on earth could I gain from tricking you?!"

"You're just trying to get our guard down," it was an Oni Keyda recognized from the Baron's fortress.

Wu shook his head, incredulous. "The dragons could have destroyed you, guard down or not. I assure you, this is no trick." He decided to change tactics. "Am I to believe that there is no one among you who would want peace? Who is tired of being forced to cower and obey?"

"The Baron was a monster…but I still would have followed 'em than join with those dragons any day of the week!" an Oni yelled angrily.

Keyda was still sitting on the Ultra-Dragon, frozen. He was losing…he wasn't making any headway at all. Wu turned and looked up with her, like he wanted her to say something. But what on earth could she say?

She dismounted, trying to keep her hands from shaking as she faced the crowd. Most of them were from the Baron's army, but there were also armies from other fortresses, and groups from villages. The Oni had all come together for this final battle. Those who knew who she was jeered and those who didn't looked skeptical. She tried to stay calm.

"So that's it, then? We just keep on fighting the Dragons until they or we are destroyed and the whole realm is in ruins? We grow and live in a world of constant war and fear? Instead of the world of _peace_ that _he's offering us?_ " here she gestured to Wu.

"Why would we ever listen to _you_ …Dragon Lover?!" one of the Baron's henchman spat at her and the crowd became angry once again.

"Because she is the only Oni among all of you connected to the true power from your past," Wu pointed out. The crowd could not disagree; they had witnessed her in action, whether in the battle itself or on the rock formation.

A few more of the Baron's Dragon Masters approached menacingly. One gave her an unctuous smile.

"But the Baron has shown us how we can use that power for ourselves…all it will take is a few more hours in the extraction chamber, eh Keyda?"

She took a small step backwards as the crowd of Oni pressed closer. She glared at the one talking and clenched her fists.

"Don't…threaten me…"

The crowd slowed at the sight of her glowing fists. The speaker wasn't totally cowed, however.

"You should have brought more backup…both of you. What could you possibly hope to accomplish with your empty words?"

"You'd prefer I show up with dragons?" Wu asked angrily. The speaker laughed without humor.

"It would have at least ensured you'd make it out of here _alive…"_

Keyda took a step towards him. He was an oily character that she recognized from the Baron's inner circle. No doubt he had taken it upon himself to fill the void left by the Baron's death.

"Go ahead and try something…give me a reason to wipe that smirk off your face…" Her fists glowed brighter. He glanced down at them with a hint of concern, but he quickly masked it.

"You think you're so special, huh? You think that we haven't figured out your little secret? Let's go track down those colorful friends of yours…maybe if I kill one _I'll_ unlock some fancy powers…"

In seconds the oily man was pinned up against the side of the Dragon by his throat; Keyda noted briefly that this was beginning to be her signature move. She glared at the man, fists and eyes fully flaming now. There was terror in his eyes now…true terror. She grunted disgustedly and threw him back into the Oni crowd. She turned and began yelling at all of them, aura pouring off of her.

"Is _this_ what you want?" She asked, throwing blasts at them. "Someone to be _afraid of?!_ Someone who terrorizes you into obeying, who manipulates every aspect of your life through fear?!" She launched a few more orbs and the Oni were cowering now. She shook her head; it seemed that the Baron was right. Nowadays Oni only fear or are feared.

"Well…if that's all you want than fine. I can blast you into submission…control you…you can all go back to the lives you had before, _groveling in the dirt!"_ She threw more power at them. Wu was suddenly next to her, grabbing her arm.

"Keyda… _that's enough…._ "

"NO." She gestured to the crowd as she bitterly addressed the Dragon Master. "This is what they want, 'Chosen One'. It's all they know; they don't want change. They can't _handle_ change!"

"We have to give them that chance…"

"They won't give _themselves_ that chance! They finally have the option to be more than mindless puppets and sycophants…to have a chance at real life and at _happiness_ and they are going to throw it away!" Furious tears coursed down her cheeks. This is what Wu got for bringing her along…he should have listened to her when she said she _couldn't do this._ Suddenly a voice called out from among the Oni.

"Maybe Not."

33


	15. Part 14

Nicki's Story

 _ **66**_

"How did you escape this last time?!" Nya yelled as they continued their escape from the large boulder.

Lloyd tried to remember back, but he had only run that simulation once. He couldn't really remember how he had escaped; but he remembered making it to the armor room. Surely it was around here somewhere…

He noticed a small side hallway and yanked Nya into it, allowing the boulder to finally roll by.

"I think the armor room is around here somewhere…" Lloyd said, peering out of their small hallway. "I think I found it shortly after the boulder…"

"Well, that's good at least," Nya said. She looked over at the bag by Lloyd. "Still got the masks?"

"Yup." he glanced in the bag to make sure and three creepy faces looked back. "They're still in there.

"Shhhh!" Nya cut him off, listening. He quieted down, thinking she was hearing a new trap.

" _Make the next two lefts…"_

"Was that Pix?" Lloyd asked as Nya crept out of the hallway.

"Quick, it came from this direction!" Nya said and the two of them set off down the hall. "If we can find P.I.X, I'm sure that she will be able to find the armor room."

They turned a corner and Lloyd narrowly missed being hit by a swinging ax.

"Woah!" he ducked and slid across the floor. "Careful! Almost forgot about the traps…"

"PIX?!" Nya called, trying to pinpoint the location of their friend. They made it to the end of the hall, ducking around the weapons that came at them.

"Nya?" P.I.X.A.L's voice echoed down the hall.

"Where are you?!" Nya asked as she and Lloyd paused.

"Give me a minute to scan for you…then I will give you directions on how to reach me. I'm in the armor room…"

"Wait, really?!" Lloyd called. "And Skylor is with you, right?"

P.I.X.A.L was silent and they could only assume she was busy scanning.

"Head down the hall you are currently in and turn left. You'll notice a opening in the floor…it's the hatch that I entered…."

"Got it!" Nya yelled, taking off down the hallway. It wasn't long before she and Lloyd could see the hatch in the floor.

"Just be careful because…"

"ACH!" Lloyd yelled as a sudden burst of flame lit his gi on fire. Nya quickly doused it.

"Lemme guess…be careful because there are flame-thrower traps up here?" she asked dryly. She and Lloyd reached the hatch and peered down into the armor room. There was the armor…looking just like they had remembered it. And there was P.I.X.A.L, standing on the floor with a long coil of rope.

"Where's Skylor?" Lloyd called, just as Nya stumbled into him. He looked over at her; she looked a little dazed.

"Sorry…I'm suddenly feeling a little lightheaded…"

"TRY NOT TO BREATHE!" P.I.X.A.L called out. She was annoyed at herself for not warning her friends sooner about the sleeping gas threat, but she had been shocked to see that they had made it into the stronghold at all.

"What, why?" Lloyd's question had been a knee-jerk response, but then P.I.X.A.L's words sank in and he held his breath.

"I triggered the armor's last security measure; sleeping gas. It must be making its way through the pipes now…"

Nya wanted to point out that they couldn't hold their breath forever, but talking would require her to _stop_ holding her breath and thus posed a problem.

"Skylor has gone to locate the source of the gas…" P.I.X.A.L answered their unasked question. "We will have to just wait and see if she is able to turn it off. I would send you to help her…but if you end up being affected by the gas I will be better able to defend you here from the security nindroids."

That still didn't really sound like a good option to either Nya or Lloyd, but both kept quiet. Mainly out of necessity. The next minute was excruciating; right as Lloyd was pretty sure he was on the verge of blacking out P.I.X.A.L called out suddenly from below.

"The gas has stopped flowing through the pipes. There's still enough in the air to make you lightheaded…but you should probably breathe now before you knock yourselves out."

Nya and Lloyd simultaneously gasped for breath, and instantly became dizzy.

"I guess…this means…Skylor found it…" Lloyd said, stumbling into the wall.

"Lay on the ground to get below the gas," P.I.X.A.L instructed and both friends did so. Nya felt a little foolish…here she was, in a high-security stronghold in the middle of a labyrinth of a jungle. Lying on the floor.

"How did you guys find the armor?" Lloyd asked.

"I have been able to scan small sections of the stronghold as we worked through it and I was able to detect the room.

"How are we going to get in there? There are bars over the hatch!" Nya complained.

"Maybe we could just drop the masks down to P.I.X.A.L…" Lloyd mused, but Nya shook her head.

"But we don't know what would happen when we destroy them…and with the bars in place Pix can't get out either; she'd be trapped in there with the aftermath."

"Oh, yeah…" Lloyd said.

"Do not worry about me," P.I.X.A.L called from below. "I am here to be useful…if that is what is needed than that is what we will do."

Nya frowned. Lloyd turned towards the hatch.

"No way, Pix. We're doing this together…. _all_ of it. Ok?"

P.I.X.A.L was silent. A few minutes passed by before any of them spoke.

"I think Skylor should have been back by now…" Lloyd finally said, and P.I.X.A.L agreed.

"You should be safe to stand again; the gas should be dissipated enough now…"

Lloyd got to his feet and Nya followed suit. She turned to him.

"You go find Skylor. Pix and I will try to figure out how to get this hatch open again." He nodded and, after getting directions from P.I.X.A.L, disappeared down the hall.

 _Keyda_

The crowd parted as an unknown man came forward. His head was half-shaved and his face was covered in hideous scars. Both Keyda and Wu watched with both curiosity and wariness as he walked forward. When he reached the front of the crowd, he stopped walking and began to talk once again. He was addressing the crowd around him, but he looked at Wu the whole time.

"Think about it, friends. Sure…some of us might wish we could all go back to the way things were before…but the Baron is _dead_. And this guy's the one who did it."

The crowd jeered, but the speaker held up his arm for silence.

"Life's a whole lot easier when you have someone to lead…when you don't have to make decisions for yourself. But serving under the Baron was a living nightmare…constantly being told what to do, not allowed to think for yourself...and all it took was him thinkin' you slipped up _one time_ and you were toast."

Keyda looked at the man carefully as he spoke. She swore that she had never seen him before in her life…but the way he spoke sounded so familiar. He continued.

"Nah...life under the Baron was agony, but even if some of ya liked it better, he's dead now. The fact is we've got to decide what's more important to us…survival or revenge."

"Why should we listen to _you?"_ someone asked, mockingly. "You're nothing more than an ugly nobody!"

"I was the Baron's right-hand man." the stranger said quietly.

Keyda blinked; then that would mean…

"Heavy Metal?" she asked, dumbfounded. She was shocked to see him without his mask…and even more shocked at the fact that he seemed to be on _their_ side.

"That's right." he said and Oni in the crowd looked at each other uncertainly. Heavy Metal continued.

"Sure we could pick a different leader and go up against these dragons…but they're stronger than us. And they got this dragon master…and those powerful outsiders." He shuddered. "Never knew anyone stronger than the Baron but they beat him, hey? And there's plenty I don't understand about them…like where they came from, and where they got those fancy powers…how that one woke up after being _dead…_ " He shook his head. "I feel like it's in my better interest to be _on_ their side than on an opposing one. The rest of you decide what you want…but if this Golden Guy hasn't killed me yet after taking the Baron out so easily, I'm gonna take my chances with him. "

The Oni looked like they wanted to keep arguing…but Heavy Metal did make a good point. Behind their rage was uncertainty…and a desperate need for survival.

"I won't follow him…" One woman in the front called out. She sounded more resigned than angry. "Oni following the Dragon leader is unnatural…"

"There was Oni in the child of olden times," Wu pointed out. "And thus there is Oni in me as well. Just as much Oni as Dragon, technically."

This sunk in. The Oni looked at one another; could they really even consider this as an option?

Heavy Metal spoke again, but this time he was addressing Wu.

"Best give them some time to think about it, Dragon Master,"

Wu considered his words and finally nodded.

"So be it…you have till dawn to decide."

 _ **67**_

In the end, utter exhaustion beat out Cole's stubbornness. Zane continued to watch the horizon, though he glanced over now and again as his sleeping friend cried out or moaned. It seemed he was having nightmares…which didn't really surprise the nindroid. He couldn't decide if it would be better to wake Cole and spare him from his bad dreams or let him sleep so his body could get some much needed rest; he figured that Cole wouldn't be willing to go back to sleep once awakened.

While he waited, he thought about what Cole had told him. Garmadon was alive…well, the good part of Garmadon. If one considered existing in the limbo void as being alive. The Nindroid could calculate what this information would mean for Ninjago…but he could also calculate all the risks involved. Not to mention that they had yet to find a way out of _this_ realm. He could only hope that Wu would know what to do.

A dragon call caused Zane to look up and notice that the Ultra-Dragon was approaching. Here was his chance to ask him.

The Ultra-Dragon roared again as it drew nearer and his call woke the three sleeping ninja. Cole woke up with a yell, and his arms flashed as he apparently tried to power up his earth punch. His eyes cleared as he woke up and he remembered where he was.

The ninja watched as the Ultra-Dragon flew over them and landed on the formation and then headed over.

"Soooo…how'd it go?" the blue ninja pressed as Wu and Keyda descended. They looked at each other and then Wu looked at his pupils.

"They're coming to tell us of their decision at dawn."

"You couldn't convince them?" Kai scoffed. "Why not just sic Keyda on them till they agree?"

Wu gave off a choking sound that might have been a laugh while Keyda glared at the fire ninja. He might have saved her once…but that didn't mean she liked him.

"Because there wouldn't have been any Oni left," Cole pointed out and Keyda turned to glare at him instead. "But we can talk about all that later… I remembered something important that happened in the limbo place…"

Cole quickly filled everyone else in on the experience.

"Garmadon?! Like…the good Garmadon?!" Jay looked shocked

"Yeah…exactly how he was when we last saw him…"

"Wait…so he's still a snake-man?" Kai cut in.

Cole blinked, confused. "What? NO…ok, maybe not _exactly_ like how we last saw him. Think Sensei Garmadon, guys. He's still out there in…limbo land,"

During the discussion Wu had become very quiet. Zane looked over.

"Wu…is there a way to bring him back, like we brought back Cole?"

Wu glanced up.

"Technically…yes. But it would require getting close to Garmadon…"

"And I doubt he's gonna go for _that_!" Jay interjected. "I mean, it was easy to do it on Cole, with him being passed out and all. How the heck are we supposed get close enough to Garmadon long enough to do anything?"

"Easy?" Keyda glowered. "The way you talk makes it sound like you forgot that you had _nothing_ to do with it…"

"And we would need both you and Keyda to accomplish it, correct?" Zane asked Wu.

"Maybe it would be easier to just _defeat_ Garmadon…" Kai put in. Cole frowned.

"But guys...if we don't pull Good Garmadon out of there then he'll be lost in the void forever,"

"Maybe we could defeat the bad one and try to pull the good one out later, some other way?" Jay tried, but Cole shook his head.

"We don't have time…I mean, I was only in there for, what? A few hours? A few days?" he looked around at his friends. "Actually, how long was I out for anyways?"

"Not quite a day," Zane clarified and Cole continued.

"Yeah…not quite a day, and I was almost…" he trailed off, suddenly remembering that he almost fell asleep in the Limbo void. What would have happened if he had? He shuddered at the thought.

"I am all for saving my brother…my _real_ brother…" Wu said. "But it will take a lot of planning. And I wouldn't be able to do it alone," he turned to Keyda. "Zane is right. You would have to be willing to come to our realm,"

She didn't respond.

"Wasn't…wasn't that the plan anyway?" Cole asked quietly. Keyda glanced up and then back down. The air was tense as everyone waited for her answer.

"How exactly do you plan on getting home anyways?"

Everyone glanced at each other and then everyone's gaze rested on Wu. He sighed.

"The only chance we have is if the nations unite,"

The ninja looked confused and Keyda bristled.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's all in the wording of Antirock's prophecy…I believe he gave us a loophole," Wu explained. "The prophecy said that the child and the elements would always stay with the Dragon Nation…the Elder took that to mean that we would be forced to stay in this realm forever. But we are only bound to the Dragon Nation. If the two nations unite, they will become a new nation, and technically the Dragon Nation and Oni Nation would no longer exist…"

"You're basing everything on _wording?!"_ Jay asked in disbelief.

"THAT'S why you're uniting the nations?!" Keyda couldn't believe it. After all the Dragon Master's flowery words…the truth was he was only after his own interests. That's all they were then…words. Her fists lit up.

Everyone suddenly became wary as Keyda glared at the Dragon Master.

"Keyda…" Wu started, but she shook her head.

"NO…no more of your fancy talking. You said that you were here to bring peace…that joining the nations was the only way…"

"It _is_ the only way!"

"Really?! Because I honestly can't think of a plan that would create _more_ turmoil! Why didn't you bring up the prophecy's loophole in all your speech to the Dragons?"

Wu sighed in irritation as Keyda answered her own question.

"You were never planning on leading anybody…you don't care what happens to this realm…you had ulterior motives this _entire time!_ Once the nations are joined you are gonna run away…back to your own realm… _"_

"It's not like that…" Cole started, but Kai cut in.

"Ulterior motives?! Getting back home with the Dragon Master has been our plan this entire time! You _knew_ that!"

"Sure… but then he," she gestured to Wu angrily, "started talking about fixing the realm…and bringing peace…for ancient's sake he just became leader of the Dragons!"

"Uniting the realms really is in everyone's best interest!" Wu argued back. "And I have no intention of tricking anybody…this is the change that will help the realm; isn't change what _you_ wanted?!"

"STOP!" Keyda was yelling and seemed close to attacking. "You've tried to paint yourself as some kind of savior but the truth is you're just like the Elder…and the _Baron!_ You have your own little plans and plots and you just manipulate other people into thinking it's what they want for _themselves!"_ Her fists grew brighter and the ninja instinctively took defensive stances. She studied them all for a minute or so, and then she sighed and the flame died down.

"Well…I'm done being manipulated. You guys are on your own." She walked over to the side of the plateau that they were on and swung her legs over the edge for the climb down.

" _Wait!"_ Cole said, and her eyes flashed as she looked up. "After all of this, you can't just…"

"Save it…you aren't talking me out of this," she said, and he could tell that she was serious. He huffed.

"Well…at least let me give you a ride to…wherever it is you're going,"

She stiffened; she had nowhere to go and she knew they all knew it. But at the moment she didn't care. She just needed to get away from here to somewhere where she wouldn't feel like a pawn for once. If such a place even existed.

"No." She disappeared as she began her dissent. Cole's brows furrowed and he continued to glare at the place she disappeared for the next couple minutes. Jay and Kai made eye contact and Jay wiggled his eyebrows. Perhaps they didn't have anything to worry about after all.

"Wu...do you think the Oni will agree to join up?" Zane asked, breaking the tension. Wu sighed.

"I do not know…but if they do not then we may be out of options for getting home…"

"Don't say that!" Jay cut in. "You're _Wu!_ I haven't met a situation yet that you haven't had an ambiguous metaphor for that could magically relate to our situation and solve all our problems!"

Everyone waited, but Wu only frowned.

"This is where you hit us up with an ambiguous metaphor…in case you didn't get that…" Jay prompted. Wu shook his head.

"What good is my unexpected wisdom if you are all _expecting_ it?" he said with irritation. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry…it's just that everything feels like it is against us and we are running out of time…"

"Maybe, but I think we're used to those odds by now," Kai pointed out. "We'll get out of this. Ninja never quit…right guys?" he turned and Jay and Zane nodded their agreement, but Cole still looked distracted.

"...Cole?" Kai prompted, and his friend shook his head, still looking over at where Keyda had left.

"Nope…not letting her get away with it," he muttered. He started walking towards his dragon. The Earth Guardian saw him coming and prepared to be boarded while the rest of the ninja looked at each other in disbelief.

"COLE! Where are you going!?" Jay yelled, though everyone already knew. Cole barely glanced behind him.

"She's being ridiculous…"

"She made her decision clear, Cole," Wu interjected. "I doubt she will appreciate being followed…or pressed…"

"Oh, I'm _counting_ on it…" Cole struggled to board his dragon. He finally groaned in resigned frustration. "A little help?"

"You're just gonna make her angry…" Jay said. Kai nodded his agreement.

"Jay's right…and you are in bad shape. At least let me come with you…"

"That will just make her _angrier,"_ Cole pointed out as his dragon assisted him onboard. "Thanks." The guardian spread its wings in reply.

"I really must agree with the others…" Zane started. Based on what he knew about Keyda, chasing her down while she was angry would only escalate the situation.

"I get it, guys…but I gotta do this." With that, the Earth Guardian launched off the rock formation.

Jay shook his head.

"Aw, man…he's got it worse than we thought…"

Kai folded his arms. "I thought we agreed _not to talk about it…_ "

 _ **68**_

Skylor blinked, discombobulated. Why was the world sideways? Where was she? Her mind suddenly snapped to focus as she realized that she was on the floor and she sat up. Light was leaking in the hole in the wall she had broken through to get into the room. She didn't remember passing out…but she was glad she had at least woken up again. She was taking that as a sign that she had turned the wheel the right way. She stood up and was annoyed to find her legs shaking. She steadied herself on the wall and tried to think about what the next step would be. Get back to P.I.X.A.L…find out how to get into the room…and then what? Lloyd and Nya were still outside. Maybe they could find some way to transport the armor? Then Lloyd and Nya wouldn't have to get inside with the masks. But how on earth would they…

The sound of running feet took her out of her thoughts. It had to be nindroids; Pix had mentioned that they would come soon after the gas to clean up the mess so to speak. She pulled out her crossbow, positioning herself behind the gas tank with the bow pointed at the hole in the wall. She prepared to fire on the first thing that came into view…

She heard clattering as blowdarts fired at whoever was approaching. Skylor lowered the crossbow a bit. The stronghold wouldn't be firing on its own nindroids, would it?

"Skylor?!" A voice called, and the redhead stood up, lowering her weapon the rest of the way.

"Lloyd?!" she asked, going to her makeshift door and poking her head out into the hallway. She was shocked to see the figure in green turn the corner, smiling in relief as he caught sight of her.

"Ah…there you are…" he said.

"Where's Nya?" she asked as she joinded him in the hall.

"Nya's with Pix," Lloyd said. "We found another entrance," he continued as he saw the confused look on her face."

"Oh, well…that's a relief…"

"We should get back though, before Pix sends Nya to come find us."

Skylor laughed. "After you."

 _Keyda_

Keyda heard the dragon approach and cursed.

"GO AWAY!" she yelled as she continued her march.

"You don't even know where you're going!" Cole pointed out, swooping closer. She turned and he could make out her glare in the purple glow of her hands.

"Go away orI will _blast you off that dragon!"_

He rolled his eyes and landed in front of her.

"Here," he said sarcastically as he dismounted. "I'll give you a closer shot."

She turned and started walking quickly in another direction. He took off after her but wasn't able to move quite as fast.

"I know he sent you here to change my mind…but it's already made up so you might as well _leave!"_

"Wu didn't even want me to come!" Cole shouted back, grimacing. He would add speed-walking to the list of things that hurt a lot to do. "Would you just stop for a minute and _listen?!"_

"I'm done listening." She walked faster and Cole huffed angrily. Suddenly his dragon landed right in front of Keyda, cutting off her escape and giving her a patronizing look. She groaned and turned to find Cole right behind her, albeit out of breath.

"You really are the most confusing person…" he panted and she threw up her hands in frustration.

" _ME?_ You are the ones who say one thing and do another…"

"Oh yeah? One second you want things to change…and the next you're angry that they're changing. You say you don't care about us but now you're upset that we might be leaving…can you not see how that could be sending some mixed signals?"

She folded her arms in a full body glare. "It's your Dragon Master who's sending mixed signals…"

"That's another thing!" he said, straightening up as he yelled. "You can say what you want about me…and you _sure have…_ but don't you dare talk bad about Wu."

"Why are you so protective of him?! All he does is tell you what to do…he controls you…"

"No, he _leads_ us. Don't you get it? There are such things as _good_ leaders!"

"I guess I wouldn't know!"

"Yeah, well, then you can take my word for it." He took a step closer. "So don't ever compare Wu to the Baron again."

She just shook her head. "Who is he, anyways? When I first met you guys he was just a kid and now he's grown older… _much_ older than he should have in a matter of days! And you all follow him blindly…even when he was just a runt you all looked to him for guidance. How do you know he isn't controlling you all somehow?"

"It isn't _control…_ it's called respect. And he's older than he seems-he got mixed up with some trouble and ended up turning young. He's turning back to his old self though, slowly but surely; He's our sensei…he's the one who brought our team together in the first place and trained us." Cole became quiet, as if remembering something. "Years ago I was pretty lost. I didn't have any direction: I was more or less estranged from my Dad, and I had just lost my mom…if Wu hadn't found me when he did I don't really know where I would have ended up."

Keyda waited, arms still folded. He continued.

"I know that to you it seems like he doesn't care…like he's abandoning this realm…using those who live in it…but I've been with the guy for _years._ If he says this is the only way for lasting peace, then it is. If he said that he'd lead the dragons, then he _will_." He took in her skeptical look and nearly yelled in frustration. "If you don't trust _him_ than at least trust _me!_ Someday you're gonna have to trust _somebody_ Keyds!"

Her eyes flashed. "What did you just call me?"

He flushed. "Oh please…you have definitely called me worse things…"

She took a threatening step closer. "Don't _ever_ call me that again." She turned to go and sighed as she was once again faced with the large dragon blockade. She turned back.

"So, what? Are you going to just keep following me around and harassing me until I agree to Wu's plan?!"

"…Is that an option?"

The look she gave him was answer in and of itself. He dry-washed his face.

"Look Keyda…if you don't want to come with us to our realm, then fine. I'm not here to try to force you to come with us…but I at least need to know that you have some kind of plan for yourself from here on out."

"That's my business."

"Which is basically just telling me that you _don't_ have a plan." he glared. "I'm not about to let you wander off with no strategy and no protection…"

"HEY!" she snapped. "I've survived this long…and I do better without having to lug around your dead weight. Why don't you get back to your _real_ friends so you can head back to your nice little realm?"

"Because then I'd have to go the rest of my life wondering what the heck ever happened to you!" he snapped back. She shoved him and he stumbled backwards.

"Like you would even remember me after getting back to where you came from…with all those people you left behind…" she went to shove him again and he grabbed her arms.

"What are you talking about?!"

She tried to pull her arms out of his grasp, but he was holding firm.

"Let go! Leave me alone…just _go away and leave me alone!"_

" _Keyda_!"

She twisted, still trying to get her arms free as she got angrier. Her eyes burned violet.

"I should have never saved you that day! _I wish that we had never met!"_ she screamed, still writhing. He dropped her arms and she turned away, trembling with anger. She waited for him to leave, but he didn't. He just stood silently behind her, like he was waiting for her to say something else. She sighed in irate frustration.

"Don't you get it, Idiot?!" she said, turning to face him again. "I just want to forget you! _I can't wait to forget you!"_

Her words finally seemed to hit home; he flinched. They stood for a few moments; she was glaring and breathing hard while he refused to look at her.

"Fine." When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and angry. The Dragon behind Keyda moved so that it was kneeling next to Cole and he painfully boarded it without looking at her. She wanted to turn and walk away, but for some reason she felt glued to the spot, watching the dragon spread its wings. Before it lifted off, he turned towards her again.

"Just so you know…we aren't leaving to some beautiful realm. Back home there's a monster named Garmadon who's just as bad as the Baron…if not worse. And if we don't fix him, then he'll destroy everything and everyone we care about. If he hasn't already," he paused, jaw clenched. "Not that you care." And with that, the Dragon took to the skies.

Keyda watched them fly away longer than she wanted to.

 _Nya_

"The only thing I cannot understand is why we have not been attacked by security nindroids yet…" P.I.X.A.L mused. "They should have been here shortly after the gas began."

"Like…maybe ten of them…maybe stationed relatively close?" Nya asked slyly.

P.I.X.A.L blinked. "Did you and Lloyd...?"

"Let's just say if that was the nindroid force you are waiting for, you'll be waiting awhile." Nya said with a smug smile as she positioned herself for their bar-breaking plan. "Ok…here goes nothing,".

P.I.X.A.L looked up through the bars. "Just be really careful, Nya…"

"Hey, this was _your_ idea, remember?" Nya pointed out.

"It is the only solution I could think of…that does not mean that it is not dangerous…"

"Ok. I'm doing it now. Stand back…"

Nya took a deep breath and fired water near the wall where the flame-launcher had attacked Lloyd. Sensing the movement, the launcher came out and started firing at the water flow Nya continued to shoot. She inched closer as steam hissed, and at the last second she threw herself at the flame thrower and narrowly missed its blast as it sensed her sudden movement. She was able to position herself behind it, her back up against the wall as she grabbed the machine. It bucked under her grasp and continued to spit flame; she grunted as she forced the long gun-like machine so that it was facing the hatch.

"Is it hitting the bars?!" she yelled.

"Yes…no…more to the left…no…yes…" P.I.X.A.L gave directional orders while Nya tried her best to control the flame thrower. After a few minutes she felt like her arms were about to give out.

"Ok…that should be enough…" P.I.X.A.L's voice cut in and Nya sighed in relief. She blasted the thrower with water, causing steam to erupt once again as she made her escape. In a few moments she was back near the hatch but out of the launcher's motion sensor range.

"You must act quickly, while the bars are still hot…" P.I.X.A.L said and Nya turned her attention to the metal bars over the hatch, which were now red-hot. Pulling out her spear, she began battering the two bars in the middle with the butt of her spear, trying to get them far enough apart that a person could squeeze through them. The bars moved a bit but were cooling too fast for her to bend them very far.

"It appears that they will need a second heating…" P.I.X.A.L noted, and Nya sighed.

"Of course they will."

 _ **69**_

The ninja took one look at Cole and knew better than to ask. He glanced over at the horizon as he dismounted.

"Looks like dawn's here…are the Oni coming here or are you going back to them?"

Wu was looking out towards the Oni camps.

"They said they would send a representative at dawn."

They all stared off at the Oni camp, each trying to figure out what their next step would be if the Oni didn't agree to the union. Would they just have to stay here forever…just part of the dragon nation? And even if the Oni did agree…how would they keep them from killing each other once they left to go save their home realm? And even if they got _that_ far, how would they ever defeat Garmadon without Keyda?

Cole's friends exchanged looks, having noticed that he was still glowering. Kai and Jay still didn't want to ask. By an unspoken agreement, Zane was voted to open the can of worms. He looked over at Cole and cleared his throat.

"So is Keyda…"

"No. She's not coming back." Despite his glower, Cole's voice sounded dull. "For once in your life, you were wrong about something, nindroid."

Zane frowned, confused. "But I said…"

"Not about her coming back." Cole looked over at him. "The truth is the only feelings that she has ever had for me are angry, _bitter_ feelings."

"I do not think…"

"Look! There's the representative!" Jay said, interrupting. The ninja all looked over at where he was pointing. Sure enough, a lone spec was making its way towards them.

"It would probably be best to meet them on the ground." Wu pointed out. The ninja boarded their dragons and went down to wait at the bottom of the rock formation. After 20 more minutes or so the spec had reached them.

"Heavy Metal." Wu greeted, and the ninja looked at each other in alarm.

"Isn't that the Baron's right hand guy?!" Jay accused, while Cole asked "Where's his mask?" Wu hushed his students so that the Oni could speak.

"Yes…I was the Baron's stooge. And my mask got destroyed the day you went blasting out of the fortress. Only thing that saved my head in the fall, though. You blokes got any more questions, or can we get down to business now?"

"By all means," Wu said, shooting Jay a look. The blue ninja shut his mouth, his further questions dying in his throat.

Heavy Metal scratched his head, looking at the group.

"Well…the truth is we Oni utterly despise the thought of joining up with the dragons. It goes against nearly everything we believe. In fact, the only thing it _doesn't_ go against is the deepest root of Oni-ness…and that's survival. We know that if we don't make this choice we're all goners…so we're gonna do it."

The ninja all just stared for a few minutes, not quite believing what they were hearing. The Oni were agreeing to the union?!

"FINALLY! Something going _right_ for a change!" Jay exclaimed, but Heavy Metal cleared his throat as if he wasn't finished.

"The thing is…they don't trust ya, Dragon Master. They agreed to join the Union…but only if they have a full-bred Oni leading the way."

Wu's countenance dropped; he knew what the Oni was going to say before he even said it. Heavy Metal continued.

"They all want her…Keyda. I mean, there's still plenty of Oni that think she's a Dragon-lover…but better Dragon lover than part dragon."

The news hit hard and Jay cursed the fact that he had celebrated too soon. It seemed that their lives were still very much on the _nothing ever going right_ track.

"Are there any other Oni leader options?" Zane asked.

"Nah…I mean, plenty of blokes that _want_ the job, sure. But none of em got what she's got. She wasn't totally off last night...respect and fear are the same word as far as Oni are concerned. She's the only one they would fear enough to respect. Besides you, of course," he gestured to Wu. "But you're part Dragon so that makes em hate you more."

"And…if she doesn't agree to do it?" Wu asked, warily. He already knew she wouldn't. Though he had figured that Cole would not be successful in his attempt to bring her back, he also knew that if anyone could have convinced her it would have been him.

"They aren't gonna follow you…that's for sure. I guess if Keyda isn't an option then the Oni will just chose someone else…however," he looked at Wu coldly. "The fact that she's abandoned you as well doesn't bode very well. It'll probably make everyone rethink the whole union if even the Dragon-lover won't stand with you…"

Wu was silent. He wished there was something he could have said to Keyda that would have made her see his way…to see how important all of this was. But he couldn't get her accusations out of his head. He had never manipulated her…or the dragons…had he? He meant what he said, he meant every promise. But he also couldn't deny that he had tried his very hardest in trying to sway other's opinions to match his own.

"Wu? Wu, what do you want to do?"

Kai's voice broke through his thoughts and Wu shook his head to clear it.

"The truth is that Keyda has parted ways with us…and I don't think she'd ever agree to be in any kind of joint-leadership position if it meant that she would have to be joint with me. It will have to be someone else…"

"I don't think that _any_ Oni would agree to be in a joint leadership position with you…" Heavy Metal pointed out. Wu raised his voice.

"Perhaps _not…_ but it would hardly be a unified nation if the leaders aren't even unified…"

"Why are you pushing so hard for that?" Heavy Metal's eyes narrowed. "Dragons have a leader not prone to war…Oni get a leader not prone to war…and presto. War averted, peace achieved. The other Oni and myself want to know why the nations must be united…"

"Just because the leaders of today are dedicated to peace doesn't mean that old hatchets won't be dug up in the future." Wu snapped. "Besides…this is what Antirock and Echo wanted for the nations. It's why the child was ever created in the first place! So I guess you could say that unifying the nations is my destiny…"

Heavy Metal shrugged. "Sure, sure. The truth is we know we got to do what you say to avoid getting destroyed…so if that's uniting than I guess we have no choice. But it certainly hasn't won you any friends, Dragon Master."

Wu sighed. "How soon until can we unite the realms? Officially?"

The Oni gave another shrug. "I don't really know the protocol for this…"

"Why don't we plan on tonight then. I'll send for the Dragons." Wu pressed a hand to his temple. He felt a headache forming.

The Oni's eyes glittered in the dim morning light.

"As you wish, Dragon Master."

 _Survivors_

Lloyd and Skylor rounded the corner to Nya's angry grunts. They got there in time to see her battering the bars with the butt of her spear.

"Um…how's that coming along?" Lloyd asked, amused at the image. She turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Pretty well, _actually…_ " she replied dryly. She noticed the redhead and sat up.

"Everything ok, Skylor?" she asked.

"Yeah…everything's fine." the redhead replied, sounding a little distant. "How are the bars?"

"Well…they won't win any awards for being pretty, but we should be able to squeeze through…" Nya said as Skylor and Lloyd came to view her handiwork. Lloyd furrowed his eyebrows.

"How did you get them hot like that?"

She shrugged. "Oh, you know…mad skills…" she said as she blasted the bars with water to cool them off enough for them to pass through. They hissed and P.I.X.A.L moved out of the way as water rained down.

"Ok…that should be enough. Can you throw the rope back up this way?" Nya called down. P.I.X.A.L had them stand back and she shot an arrow through the mangled bars, the rope tied onto it.

"That works too." Skylor noted, tying the rope around one of the unharmed bars with the arrow still attached. She tugged it firmly and looked over at Lloyd and Nya.

"Should hold."

Lloyd nodded. "Ok, who first? I mean, normally I'd say _ladies_ first, but as you are both ladies…"

"Huh, well, guess that leaves you as the odd one out," Nya said, gesturing for him to go first. He rolled his eyes.

"I really don't think it works like that…"

"Oh, for goodness sake." Skylor slid through the bars and headed down the rope. "We don't have all day!" she said as she reached the bottom of the rope. Lloyd and Nya looked at each other and she followed Skylor down. Lloyd threw the bag of masks down and then made his own way down.

"Alright… we got the masks…we got the armor…and now what?" Skylor said, staring at the armor. It levitated over its platform, seeming to pulsate the golden glow.

"Um…" even Nya seemed at a loss for what to do.

"We can hardly just throw them at the armor and see what happens," Skylor pointed out.

"Indeed…I am having a hard time calculating what the output would look like combining these two opposing volatile forces…" P.I.X.A.L commented. They looked over at Lloyd for his input, but he was staring at the armor with a distant expression.

"Lloyd…what's up? Do you have an idea?" Nya pressed. He didn't look at any of them as he talked.

"That's the golden power, yeah? In the armor…"

"Yeah…" Nya said, not sure where he was going with this.

"Technically it's the same power I used to have…right?"

His tone immediately triggered red flags in the three girls.

"Lloyd, I don't know what you're thinking, but…" Skylor started

"That armor killed Zane, Lloyd!" Nya cut in.

"We do not know if you possess the ability to hold power as you used to be able to…" P.I.X.A.L added. "There is no guarantee that it wouldn't simply destroy you…"

Lloyd looked over at his friends with a determined expression.

"I think it may be worth the risk."

 _ **70**_

"Lloyd… _no!"_ Nya said. The green ninja sighed as he took in their disapproving expressions. His gaze then shifted over to the golden armor.

"Look…I know that we don't know what would happen…but we're in the middle of a war and we're outnumbered. We aren't going to win without taking some risks.

"This is more than just a _risk_ Lloyd…you could _die!"_ Nya argued, grabbing his arms.

"Nya…" he didn't look her right in the eyes. "I know you're worried…but I promised you that we would avenge our friends. Harumi and Garmadon _killed_ them…they destroyed the only family we've ever known…"

"But…"

"Even with everyone we have on our side and your powers…it's not going to be enough. If we are going to have any chance of truly avenging our friends and putting a stop to Harumi and Garmadon once and for all, I've got to do this…"

"Lloyd, there is nothing in my database that would suggest that you handling the armor would bring your powers back… we do not even understand why they disappeared in the first place…" P.I.X.A.L warned.

"I think it's worth a shot."

Everybody turned to Skylor in surprise. The redhead had walked over so she was next to the armor, studying it.

" _WHAT?!"_ Nya yelled, ready to rip into her. Lloyd looked relieved to have someone on his side, though he was confused as well.

"Sure…like Lloyd said, we need all the help we can get. But it _is_ a risk…which is why I'm going to do it first."

The mood in the room instantly switched.

"Wait, Skylor, you _can't_ ," Lloyd said, trying to figure out how they had reached this point. She turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? You just said that it was worth the risk…"

"Yeah…for _me…"_

 _"_ You're right, though. We need all the help we can get…all the _powers_ we can get. So what's the problem?"

Lloyd huffed; there she went again, twisting his words.

"When I said that…"

"You meant you. But really, if it works on me it will work on you. And as logic would have it, I'm less of an asset and just as powerless," She inched closer to the armor.

"OK…" Lloyd nearly yelled as he put his hands up, still trying to talk her down. "If you want to, then fine…but at least let _me_ go first…"

"And here I remember you saying _ladies_ first…"

"This is stupid, _NEITHER_ of you are doing this!" Nya cut in, fuming. "We're here to destroy the masks and _that. Is. It._ So Skylor, step away from the armor!"

"I must agree with Nya…" P.I.X.A.L cut in. Skylor gave a little smirk and turned away from the armor, facing Lloyd.

"I wasn't going to do it, Lloyd. I just wanted to make you think…if you really have that many doubts about how it would go down, than you really shouldn't be gambling your life on it."

Lloyd frowned and Nya and P.I.X.A.L relaxed, assured that Skylor wasn't actually about to blow herself up. The robot turned to Lloyd as well.

"Lloyd…you mentioned that it would be worth the risk…but the way I see it there is more of a chance of you dying than getting your powers back. Losing you is a far greater risk than getting a bit more power for our fight."

"Pix is right," Nya cut in. "I…I know that I haven't really been the greatest friend lately. It's true that I want revenge on Harumi…I want to avenge our friends. But that isn't worth it if it just means that I'm going to lose somebody else…."

He wasn't making eye contact with anybody. Didn't they understand how useless he had felt over the last few weeks? He couldn't even compete with his father when he had his powers…what chance did he have now? Nya put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey."

He looked up reluctantly. She tilted her head.

"It's not your powers that we need, Lloyd. It's _you._ Your leadership, your compassion…haven't you noticed that you're the only thing keeping this team together?" P.I.X.A.L and Skylor had joined her and all were giving him encouraging looks. The water ninja continued.

"We need a leader, Lloyd. We _are_ outnumbered…which is why we can't risk losing anybody else. If we're going to defeat them, it's going to be together. It's _not_ going to be by taking unnecessary risks like this…"

Lloyd took one last look at the armor, his insides still in turmoil. But they were right…they were right and he knew it. He finally sighed.

"Alright…"

Everyone gave a sigh of relief. P.I.X.A.L grabbed the bag of Oni masks.

"Now the only question is…how _are_ we going to destroy these?"

 _Keyda_

Keyda watched the dawn and couldn't help wondering what had been decided. She sat with her arms wrapped around her knees.

She really didn't know where she was going…but she couldn't stay with the outsiders after finding out that the Dragon Master was forcing this union just to get back home. What would this realm crumble to once they were all gone? It had been on shaky ground even before the outsiders came.

She cradled her head; she had lived her whole life without being allowed to make any choices for herself…and now, suddenly, she was expected to make so many of them. She was sure that cutting ties and leaving seemed like the only way that she would get any peace…and yet here she was once again…her back up against a rock feeling more than a little peace-less.

She turned, almost subconsciously, toward the direction Cole had flown off in. She should have known he would chase her down…try to manipulate her into coming back. She had wanted nothing more than to be rid of him…so why was it she felt so hollow after she had finally gotten him to leave? She hated that even with the Baron dead, there was still someone who had any kind of sway over her emotions.

She sighed heavily, wishing she had never gotten mixed up in all of this. Once again, she wanted so badly just to slip back into blissful apathy…to forget everything that had happened. But she knew she never would be able to; this last week had left her irreversibly changed. She would never fit in with the other Oni now. She was too different. Perhaps she could find some corner of the realm to call her own and avoid the dragons and the Oni and the whole mess that would come once Wu abandoned them.

 _If he says that he'd lead the dragons…then he will._

Why did all those outsiders trust each other so much? Wu hadn't shared his true motives with any of them, yet the others didn't seem the least bit worried about how it would all work out. Though, it wasn't their realm that the union would affect anyways.

And if abandoning her realm wasn't bad enough, they had assumed she would be fine with going with them herself. Didn't they realize how ludicrous that was?! She would be more out of place there than _they_ were _here_ …and they wore garish colorful jumpsuits in a land of unending beige and black. She would never be happy there…never _belong_ there. But she didn't belong here either…she was beginning to see that she didn't belong anywhere.

She finally had her freedom…the freedom she had always wanted. But now she didn't know what to do with it. She had survived this long on her own, so spending the rest of her life in solitude shouldn't be a problem. So why did the thought of it make her feel so queasy inside? Those stupid, manipulative outsiders…a week with them and she had been reduced to feeling like she needed others. She had to be the only Oni who had ever gone through any of this idiocy.

She ran her hand through her hair, thinking. No…perhaps she wasn't the only Oni. The Elder had mentioned that there had been another Oni like her…the one that he and Wu had talked about. What was her name? Echo. She sighed, wondering if she had felt alone like this as well…perhaps that's what had led her to her friendship with the Dragon. She shivered feeling cold despite the fact that the morning sun continued to rise. Echo had tried to make a change and had been killed for it. Keyda couldn't help wondering if she regretted the choices she had made and the sacrifices it had cost…or if she would have done it again if she had the choice. Had she had times where she had wanted to run away and forget it all? Or was she dedicated enough that she never looked back, even after everything had fallen apart?

Keyda had wanted to change her own life, but at this point she had gotten herself tied into fixing the entire realm. She couldn't do that…nobody could do that. Even if the Dragon Master had meant all of his promises…how could he ever live up to them?

She shook her head. It didn't matter if he meant them or not…they were leaving, and if they really were facing someone like the Baron, she wasn't sure they wouldsurvive the battle. They had barely survived their battle with the villians of _this_ realm. She suddenly thought of Cole, struggling to even get back onto his dragon. She shook her head again, willing the memory away. She would most likely never see any of them again, and the bitterest part of her soul welcomed the idea. Yet, deep down, she had to admit that she felt incredibly empty at the thought of losing them all forever. She wanted to believe that she would be able to go through the rest of her life without regret, that all it would take would take was a few weeks or months and she would have moved on and forgotten all about them. But the sight of Cole riding away after their argument would undoubtedly haunt her for much longer. She had struck a nerve at the end of the conversation, but now she couldn't even remember exactly what she had said….she had just wanted him to go away. Her thoughts continued to spiral down in a seemingly unending round of questions she would never get answers to and memories she picked into pieces. And at the end of it all lay her final decision.

24


	16. Part 15

Nicki's Story

 _ **71**_

Garmadon stood with four hands behind his back as he surveyed the city. He turned to Harumi, who was standing near at hand.

"Start with the city and move forces to the outlying villages as well. I want everything and everyone on lockdown until the plan has come to fruition."

"Yes, emperor…" Harumi said, debating whether to ask her next question. The Dark Lord raised one eyebrow and she cleared her throat.

"You're _sure_ that they aren't dead then? That they could come back?"

"They will come back…the hard part is knowing when. But I will not be thwarted by them again." he turned to leave, breezing past her as she bowed.

The door closed and Harumi winced slightly. She turned to look out the same window he had been standing in front of. The ninja couldn't come back…for them to be alive would undermine what revenge she had been able to take so far against Lloyd. Her fists tightened; she would just have to find them before he did.

 _Ninja_

"It's hard to believe that this time tomorrow, we'll probably be back in our own realm," Kai noted. The ninja were sitting around a campfire once again, waiting for the Wu to get back with the dragons and Heavy Metal to get back with the Oni.

"Only if everything goes well tonight…" Zane pointed out, turning over a log in the fire. He had to admit he was a bit worried about how it would all play out; Keyda was about as close to an Oni ally as they had in this realm, and it hadn't taken much for her to abandon the plan. That was evidence enough that this union was going to be incredibly risky.

"I for one would like to believe that it will," Jay said, relaxing up against a warm rock. "After this last week…we all deserve a looooong vacation!"

"It's not over yet…even once we get back we still have to defeat Garmadon and Harumi and all the SOG somehow…" Cole said. His face seemed permanently frozen in an irritated expression.

"…Maybe Lloyd already defeated them all?" Jay said hopefully. Kai scoffed.

"I wouldn't bet on it, Jay. If Garmadon really is in charge then it has probably been all our friends could do to survive, let alone defeat all that evil on their own."

Jay shrugged, not wanting to let his friends' negativity ruin his mood.

"Garmadon or no, I'll still get to see Nya again, and that's enough reason for me to look forward to it."

A silence settled over the ninja as they thought about seeing their friends again. None could shake the worm of worry gnawing at them; Garmadon and Harumi had been in control for a week; who knew what they would be going back to?

Kai kicked a small stone. "I hate waiting around…I want to be _doing_ something. Something that could ensure that everything will go the way it's supposed to tonight so we can get home…"

"Unfortunately, there is nothing for us to do." Zane interjected. "Perhaps it would be best to take this time to rest; who knows when we will get another chance, especially if we are able to get back home."

"Way ahead of you, metal man," Jay said, eyes closed as he lounged. Even Kai sighed and stopped pacing. Napping wasn't his idea of being productive, but Zane did have a point. The nindroid usually did.

Zane looked over at Cole, still glowering into the fire. He didn't seem to have any intention of getting the rest he needed. The ninja in black looked up after Zane had been staring at him for a few minutes and rolled his eyes.

"FINE…but you better wake us up the second Wu gets back…"

"Of course."

 _Surivivors_

"Any other tricks or traps we could use to our advantage?" Nya asked P.I.X.A.L. The android knew there weren't, but she scanned the room once more just in case.

"Negative. As far as I can tell, the greatest security the armor has is the fact that no one can actually touch it and live…"

"Yeah, that is a pretty good defense…" Skylor noted. "I wonder how Borg even got it here in the first place?"

"Who knows?" Lloyd looked closely at the armor, still hovering, still glowing. He looked over at the sack full of masks in the corner. P.I.X.A.L followed his gaze and went over to the sack.

"Perhaps by putting the masks and armor in a closer proximity, I can do some better readings," she said, pulling the masks out.

"Risky…"Skylor warned, but P.I.X.A.L met her gaze.

"Perhaps it would be best if the three of you waited outside…"

"No way, Pix. No individual risks, remember?" Lloyd said. P.I.X.A.L sighed, handing the Mask of Vengeance to Nya, Mask of Deception to Skylor, and the Mask of Hatred to Lloyd.

"Do not get too close...approach slowly and I will tell you when to stop." P.I.X.A.L warned.

"Should one of us go first, or do it all together?" Skylor asked.

"Triangulate your position with the armor in the center," the android instructed. Her friends followed her directions, each a few yards from the pedestal and its floating armor.

"Hold the masks up…" P.I.X.A.L said, and soon all the masks were facing the armor. Nothing happened.

"Anything?" Nya asked, but P.I.X.A.L shook her head.

"Each of you move forward, slowly."

The three obliged.

"I'm not sure this is…." Lloyd started. Suddenly his mask began balking in his grasp. Nya and Skylor cried out as they found themselves with similar problems. The golden armor started making a buzzing sound as it pulsated more quickly.

"PIX?!" Nya called as her friend anyalzed the situation and made calculations.

"The powers of the Oni and the Dragon seem to have recognized each other…"

"Recognize?!" Skylor grunted.

"Yes...according to legend, the masks house the spirits of Oni Generals…"

"Wait." Skylor pulled back. "How do we know that by destroying the masks won't just release the generals? That sounds like a problem in and of itself…"

"That is why we are not throwing them in a volcano or crushing them or destroying them by other means." P.I.X.A.L explained. "Dragon Power is the only thing that can actually destroy both the masks and the generals…"

"How do you know so much about this, P.I.X?" Nya asked, also drawing back to stop her mask from balking.

"You forget that it was Borg who owned one of these masks. He has done extensive research on them. Once I learned that he said that Dragon power was the only thing that could destroy them, I connected the dots."

"But now we have a new problem…" Lloyd said, moving towards the armor again so that his mask jumped. "How are we gonna counter that?"

Skylor chucked her mask at the armor without warning, but the masks' path skewed itself and it embedded itself in a nearby wall instead. The others looked at the redhead in surprise and she shrugged.

"Just wanted to see if that would work…"

"The two forces are opposing in more ways than one…" P.I.X.A.L noted. "They are almost acting like positive and negative magnetic fields; the closer you get them together, the stronger the resistance…"

"Oh, Perfect!" Nya huffed, blowing hair out of her face. How are we going to destroy them then?"

Lloyd looked at his friends and then down at his mask.

"I think I might have an idea…" he said, and they looked up at him. He smiled sheepishly in Nya's direction.

"But I don't think you're going to like it…"

 _ **72**_

Keyda turned around three different times on her way back to the outsiders. It wasn't so much that she was rethinking her decision as she had no idea what she was going to say when she got there. What was worse was she didn't know what _they_ were going to say. She figured it would only take a few snarky comments from the red one to make her reconsider her resolution. But as much as she wanted to run away and leave everything behind, she had finally admitted to herself that doing so wouldn't solve anything. She was done hiding…and she was also done taking orders. She may be helping the outsiders again, but if they thought they could tell _her_ what to do than they had another thing coming.

As she got closer to the place where she had left them the night before, she wondered for the hundredth time what the Oni had decided; it was their decision that would ultimately control everything from here on out. Did the outsiders have a plan if the Oni didn't agree to the union? What if they decided against them? What if they had become hostile?

Somewhere up ahead she heard a yell and her heartrate jumped up. She began running. Were the Oni attacking then? Another yell…it sounded like it was at the base of the formation. Why would the outsiders give up the high ground? What were they thinking? She rounded the formation hands blazing, and tripped over Jay.

Jay yelled out in pain as she went flying forward. Had Zane not caught her she would have landed face-first into the fire. With Zane's help she quickly straightened up, face burning in embarrassment. She turned to face the three ninja on the ground, all of whom were glaring as she glanced between them. Where were the attackers? What had the yelling been about? The purple aura faded as her adrenaline was replaced with confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Cole's voice sounded distant as he looked at her with distrust. It made her uncomfortable; it had been a long time since he had looked at her like that.

"Besides _trying to kill me?!"_ Jay yelled, dusting himself off with disgust. "Seriously, _what did I ever do to you?"_

She blinked and her stance became more sheepish.

"I…uh…I heard yelling. It sounded like someone was getting hurt…"

"Yeah… _me!"_ Jay said bitterly. She glared at him.

"No one was yelling…" Cole said, but Zane cleared his throat. Everyone glanced over at him.

"We weren't in any danger," he explained. She frowned.

"I definitely heard something…"

"We _were_ sleeping…" Jay complained. "Until your little ambush failed…"

"If I wanted to ambush you, you would already be _dead…"_ her voice regained its edge. "What was the yelling about?" She noticed that everyone was subtly glancing in Cole's direction. Zane sighed.

"I told you, we weren't in danger…but Cole was…talking in his sleep."

The black ninja flushed and he looked daggers at his metal friend. Keyda blinked; it was nightmares, then.

"Oh."

"Really, what are you doing back here?" Cole's voice had taken on an edge of his own.

"Have you rethought your position on helping us?" Zane asked, sounding more hopeful. Even Kai and Jay looked intrigued; if Keyda had decided to come back than it would make it a lot easier to get home.

She stood with her arms folded.

"Look…I'm just here to make sure that the Dragon Master keeps his promise. This realm will fall apart if he doesn't and I'm not about to take that chance," here she swallowed, though she tried to make her voice sound even and determined. "Even if that means I have to follow you lot to your realm…"

The ninja all blinked in surprise.

"What made you change your mind?" Kai sounded skeptical and Keyda blew a strand of hair out of her face in disgust. And they said _she_ had trust issues.

"Don't get me wrong…I'm still mad about the Dragon Master's concealment of his true motives…"

"He didn't…" Jay tried to cut in, but she talked over him.

"BUT it's probably not a good enough reason to give up and run away…not when there's something I could do to ensure that the realm doesn't fall to pieces." She glanced over at Cole, but his back was to her as he faced the fire.

"What about having to lead all the Oni? Is that a good enough reason to give up?" he asked, back still turned. Jay winced and his three friends threw Cole warning looks that he purposefully ignored.

"What are you talking about?" She really didn't like the way he was talking to her.

"Cole…" Zane cautioned, but the Master of Earth kept talking.

"What? She's the one who seems to hate learning things after the fact. Might as well fill her in now."

Keyda walked around the campfire so she could face him. She looked down at him and waited, arms still crossed. He continued to look into the fire as he explained.

"The Oni came this morning and said that they were all for the deal…but they don't want to follow Wu. They want to follow _you."_

Her arms dropped in shock. "What?!"

"I don't know what you said to them…" Jay piped up. "But it sure convinced them!"

"And by that, he means scared the living daylights out of them," Kai added. "Which apparently, is something they like. Or at least, respect." here he shrugged. "I don't really get it to be honest."

She sat heavily, trying to process the news. She had just barely gotten her mind around going with the outsiders to their realm …but _this?_? She had never in her wildest nightmares expected to actually have to lead anybody.

"You've misunderstood…" Keyda tried. It was the only explanation; the Oni would never willingly follow _her!_

"It is true…I could show it to you if you would like," Zane offered. She shook her head. She would just have to take their word for it; Zane's strange ability to show things that have passed actually creeped her out.

"But…"

"Congratulations," Cole said sarcastically, standing up with a wince. "You wanted to make changes among the Oni? Now's your chance. And even better, you never have to see the rest of us again. Must be your lucky day." He walked off and was lost among the rocks and scraggly foliage as everyone watched.

"Seriously…what is his _problem?"_ Keyda asked angrily. She had come back…that's what he had said he had wanted!

 _"_ He's been like that ever since he got back from talking to you," Jay explained. He gave her a sideways look. "Don't suppose that you wanna tell us what you guys talked about…he clams up the second we bring it up…"

She flushed. She didn't really remember what they had talked about. She had been angry, he had been pushy… was it because she wouldn't tell him what her plans were? He already knew that she didn't have any, so why would it make him so upset? Or was it whatever she had said at the end of the argument?

"Now, don't worry…I'm an expert at making Cole mad," Jay continued. "Aaaand it just so happens that I recently discovered that a little _apology_ goes a long way…"

" _What?!"_

"Yeah…I thought it sounded dumb the first time too…but I'm telling you, it really does work…"

"I'm not apologizing…I didn't even _do_ anything!" she yelled. Jay took a step backwards, hands up.

"That's how I always feel too! But Zane's the one who suggested it, and nindroids generally know what they're talking about…"

She just shook her head. Why on earth did she come back? They were all out of their minds! _He_ was the one who started all of this by making stupid decisions that got him hurt and _never listening to her_. He was the one who wouldn't even let her leave without tracking her down and trying to manipulate her.

Kai came up and grabbed Jay's shoulder as they watched Keyda get angrier.

"I think now would be a good time to shut up, Jay…" Kai muttered. Keyda stormed off after Cole.

"Don't hurt him!" Jay called after her. "Hurting usually does not help one's apology!..."

It didn't take long for her to catch up with Cole; he still couldn't walk very fast. He turned around and eyed her with an expression she couldn't quite place. He looked almost guarded.

She glared with her hands on her hips.

" _You're_ the one who said you wanted me to come back…so why are you acting like this?!"

He shrugged. She huffed.

"Nice of you to just _spring_ that news on me back there…why on earth would the Oni want me?"

"It's like Kai said. They're afraid of you."

"Are you afraid of me too? Is that why you're acting so weird?"

He scoffed with a small shake of his head.

"I'm not afraid of you, Keyda."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course…with your track record of running headfirst into danger, I should have known you aren't afraid of _anything…"_

His fists tightened. "I never said I wasn't afraid of anything…"

"Just not dying, apparently,"

"I already did that once," he snapped back. "And there are worse things."

"Like _what?!"_

"Why did you come back?" he yelled, changing the subject. "Was it really only to make sure Wu keeps his end of the deal?"

"I CAME BACK!" she yelled back. "Why does it matter why?!"

" _I need to know!"_

"WHY?!"

They were face to face now, glaring at each other. Cole was the first to look away.

"Fine…whatever. Just forget it. We should head back before Wu gets here…"

She grabbed his arm as he went to turn away.

"And you call me confusing…"

"That's because you are." he pulled his arm away.

"Why does it matter why I came back? Why won't you just tell me what's going on with you?!"

He stopped but didn't turn around right away. He finally did and made eye contact.

"If you're really only back because you want to keep Wu in line and you're still planning on forgetting the rest of us, then I'd rather know now. If I'm gonna be forgotten again by someone I care about, I'd at least like to be prepared for it this time."

She stared at him. _That_ was what this was about? She was angry for a moment, since s _he_ wasn't even the one who had forgotten him—his friends had! But then she finally remembered what she had said to him when he had come after her…what had made him leave. She sighed, the anger finally melting away.

"I need to know that the Dragon Master is going to keep his promises…" she started carefully. "But I also need to know that you aren't going to do anything stupid and get yourself killed."

He wasn't really sure what to think about her answer.

"Alright." he turned and headed back to his friends. She watched him go, her insides in turmoil once again. She hated that feeling. It wasn't until he was out of sight that something he said clicked into place.

Did he just say he cared about her?

 _ **73**_

"You're right…I _don't_ like this…" Nya grumbled. They had retaken their triangulation position around the armor, still holding their masks.

"I do not feel comfortable with it either, Nya…but based on my readings, it may be the only way we are going to be able to destroy these masks." P.I.X.A.L pointed out from a few yards away.

"But are we really sure that it's worth the risk?" the Water Ninja asked.

Skylor laughed a little. " _You're_ the one who's been bent on destroying them…"

"I know, I know…" Nya pouted. "But not like _this…"_

"Ok," Lloyd interrupted. "Now or never." He looked at his companions. Skylor nodded once while Nya gave one last disgruntled sigh.

"Fine."

The three simultaneously put on the masks. P.I.X.A.L took a step back as the masks convulsed on her friend's faces and felt a stab of fear as horns sprouted out of each one. She readied her arrow, pointing at the wall. If this went south she was to shoot the gas pipe through the wall, fill the room with the now dormant sleeping gas, and then remove the masks off her friends while they slept. She just really hoped things wouldn't go south.

Her friends looked down at themselves.

"Wow…I don't see why Garmadon went out of his way for this…." Nya said, slightly disgusted by her two extra arms. "Who'd have ever thought I'd be in a position to actually fit into that four-armed wedding dress?"

"What?!" Skylor asked. "What wedding dress?"

"Err…nothing…"

"Focus, guys…" the two girls jumped at Lloyd's sudden demonic voice. They glanced over at him; As Nya saw his Purple armored body, she couldn't help but think it was weird to see him in a color other than green.

"Sooo….anybody feeling evil or anything?" Skylor asked. They shook their heads in response. "Ah…well, that's good then."

"Ok. Let's put this plan into motion." Lloyd said, his voice still deep and creepy.

"Wow...it sounds like you went through puberty six more times…" Nya joked and he sighed.

" _The Plan…PLEASE?!"_

"Ok…ok, are we ready?" Skylor asked. Lloyd nodded and moved towards the armor. After he got to a certain distance the mask began repelling itself, and his feet began sliding backwards as he tried to get closer.

"Skylor!" he yelled, and she immediately began using her mask's powers to drag him closer to the armor. Or at least that was the plan.

"OOF" Lloyd gasped as his body rammed into the ceiling.

"SORRY!" she called out. "This is harder to control that it looks…"

She brought him back down towards the armor. She grunted in effort as she forced him closer. He reached out his arms, fighting the resistance.

"A little more…" Lloyd said, and Skylor gave a last yell and forced him down the last few inches. He grabbed the armor. It flashed, as if trying to overwhelm him, but thanks to his temporary invincibility, all he felt was a slight buzzing.

"NYA, you're on!"

Nya walked over to Skylor and grabbed her hand with one of her four arms. She stretched out another arm to Lloyd, and Skylor strained to bring him closer.

"Just be sure neither of you touch the armor…" P.I.X.A.L warned.

Lloyd was able to grab Nya's hand, making sure that he kept the armor in his other hand.

"The timing needs to be just right…" P.I.X.A.L reminded.

"Ok…"Nya muttered under her breath. She nodded at Lloyd. He threw the armor onto the floor and Skylor used her telekenisis to pull his now-free hand to hers. They all strained to keep their grip on each other while the armor began levitating in the middle of the three of them, as if it were floating in an electromagnetic field.

"Ok Nya, NOW!" P.I.X.A.L called.

With her two extra arms, Nya reached up and ripped the masks off of her friends and yelled as she forced them into the Armor's pulsating glow. Suddenly, lightening-like bolts shot out of the armor, connecting to the masks. Nya shrieked and released the masks, but despite their efforts to escape, the armor seemed to have bound them to it and the pulsating became more frequent. More little lightening-like bolts began shooting off of the armor, as if searching for the last mask.

"The armor has made the connection….Nya, you must remove your mask and we need to get out of here!" P.I.X.A.L warned. Nya nodded; this part would be tricky. It was her hold on her two friends that was allowing her to remain this close to the armor, but once she removed the mask she would lose the arms that were busy clinging to Skylor and Lloyd. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath.

She ripped off her own mask with both hands and threw them towards the armor just as her lower arms disappeared. One of the armor's searching bolts made the connection with the mask and a strong spherical energy pulse burst out from the armor, blowing the three friends apart. They each hit an outside wall and groaned.

"Hurry! The pulses are only going to get quicker and stronger!" P.I.X.A.L's voice came from above them; she had already climbed the rope and exited the armor room. The dazed friends made a beeline for the rope and began climbing rapidly. Lloyd was the last on the rope and he gave one last glance backwards at the armor and the masks before pulling himself through the bars.

"By my calculations, we have less than 5 minutes to escape…" P.I.X.A.L warned.

"The way we got in is blocked off…and would take us at least 40 minutes to get to it anyways…" Skylor pointed out.

"But the way we came in should still be open." Lloyd said, taking off down the hall. He yelled out as the flamethrower once again made its appearance, having forgotten about it in all the chaos. He was saved a few nasty burns by Nya's quick water shooting.

"We still have to avoid the traps, Lloyd!" she chastised. Another pulse went off in the armor room, shaking the floor and causing them all to stumble. Without another word they began their race to the exit.

 _Cole_

Cole could hear the echo of dragon roars as he made it back to camp; Wu must be on his way back with the Dragon Nation, then. His friends looked at him curiously as he made his way back over to his seat by the fire.

"So…" Jay started.

"Everything's fine," Cole interrupted in a tone that suggested otherwise.

"But where's…" Kai tried.

"How am I supposed to know?!"

Jay and Kai made eye contact and Zane threw another log on the fire.

"Wu will be here soon…is there anything we need to do to further prepare?"

Cole tuned out his friends as they discussed the next step. He really wasn't feeling too good…his head was swimmy and he still hurt all over. But he wasn't about to go to sleep again…his dreams had been whirlpools of painful memories ever since he had woken up from limbo. Sometimes he was in the arena and all his friends were against him. Sometimes he was in the dungeon with the Baron…and his staff. Sometimes he was back in limbo with Garmadon trying to tell him something, but he could never hear him as his body would grow so cold and slowly lose all feeling. He shuddered.

He wished Zane hadn't ousted him about the whole nightmare thing to Keyda. Just another thing to make her think he was weak. He tightened his fist. In all the roles he had played in his life and in all the ways he had failed…he had never been _weak_ before. He was supposed to be the strong one; but ever since he had jumped off the dragon and did whatever it was that let his friends get to Dragon Haven, he could barely even walk. It was incredibly frustrating…he had always had a way of messing up words but when all else failed he had always been able to at least _punch_ things. But now he couldn't even handle doing that…he had been feeling pretty helpless lately and it was driving him insane.

He glanced up as Keyda joined the camp again. Or rather, stood leaning against a rock clear on the outskirts of camp, staring at him with that same unreadable expression. He looked back into the fire with a sigh. She was really quick to say when she _didn't_ like something…but what he couldn't figure out was what she _did_ want. Maybe she didn't even know the answer to that herself. He thought about their conversation. She said she had come back to keep Wu in line…and keep him from doing stupid things. What did that even mean? What was he even supposed to get from that?

 _Well, what did you_ want _her to say?!_

Cole frowned. Why was it his conscious always sounded like Jay? He didn't really know what he wanted Keyda to say. Maybe it would just be nice to know she actually _cared!?_ But why did _he_ care if she cared? He rested his head in his hands. Emotions were a mess…this is why he just stuck with punching stuff.

The truth was he did care. He had wanted her to come back to Ninjago with them…he had figured that was the plan anyways, considering how everyone in this realm treated her. But instead she just acted like she wished she had never been part of any of this anyways. After everything she had just _left._ It was when he went after her that it finally clicked; she was a survivor. She cared about herself, and maybe even to a certain extent, about her realm. But she had never said anything that would insinuate that she cared about them…that she cared about _him._ Zane had said she had…but after what she had said, he had no doubt that Zane had been wrong. After all, he doubted that she would be so eager to forget about him if she actually cared. Not that she had to; if she wanted to just go off and forget about them all, then fine. It was her life. She had made it clear that she made her own decisions and liked fighting her own battles.

But now she had come back, but he didn't know why. _She was so confusing!_ But he meant what he said; if at the end of this she was just going to be happy forgetting them all then he would do what he did best; distance himself. It was his go-to for when situations became more than he could handle…like when he lost people.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts; he wasn't going down that road. He needed something else to think about. The problem was that he had just been through one of the worst weeks of his life and he seemed to be fresh out of happy thoughts.

The Dragon roars got closer and he looked up to see the Ultra Dragon coming down for a landing. Wu hopped off, noticing Keyda in the sidelines. His face betrayed both relief and wariness.

She came forward before the Dragon Master had a chance to formulate a question.

"I'm just here to make sure you keep your end of your promise, Dragon Master. If you are all going to run back to your realm, then I'm going to make sure you come back."

Wu blinked. "I assure you, I was always planning on coming back."

She rolled her eyes. Wu patted the Ultra-Dragon and looked over at her again.

"The Dragon nation will be here soon…as well as the Oni. But before they get here it's important to tell you about what the Oni…"

"I already know." Keyda said dryly. Wu raised an eyebrow and she pointed a thumb over her shoulder.

"Your friends were kind enough to fill me in."

"And…you are ok with it?"

She looked away, as if thinking. She finally shrugged again.

"I'm not sure how long it will last, to be fair. But sure; if it keeps the world from falling apart. Here's the thing, though," she fixed Wu with her classic glare. "I've spent enough of my life under somebody's thumb; if I do this I'm not going to answer to _you._ "

He nodded, as if her point made sense. "Trust me, I'd never dream of it, Keyda. But you realize under this arrangement we would be working close together to keep the realm working…"

She wasn't looking at him. "So?"

"So…it's gonna require a lot of cooperation…and _trust…_ "

She sighed and her next words were almost too soft to hear.

"I guess at some point I'm gonna have to trust someone…"

 _ **74**_

The dragons arrived first, and the ninja sat and watched the reptiles entertain themselves by napping or sparring.

"So…you got a back-up plan if this all goes south?" Keyda asked, leaning up against a wall. She really couldn't see this union taking off…even after all the work Wu had put into it. And even if it did…then what? They all just leave right away, throwing the realm into chaos? She rubbed her temple and tried to think about what would happen when the Oni arrived. How did Golden-boy know that this whole set-up wouldn't trigger a new war? She looked around at her companions and frowned at their lack of response.

"I'm going to hope you're being silent because of your penchant for not sharing your plans…not because you don't actually _have_ a back-up plan…"

"Like most journeys…this one must be taken one step at a time…" Wu commented. Jay scoffed.

"Oh, _now_ we get the unexpected wisdom…"

"Yes…because it is now that you are not expecting it."

Keyda rolled her eyes. She swore this team was held together by prayers and sarcasm. Something in the distance caught her eye.

"Looks like the Oni are on their way…"

As the Oni forces drew closer all the ninja but Cole stood and dusted themselves off.

"So…what exactly is the protocol for these types of situations?" Kai asked. "Are we all gonna sign something or just have everyone shout 'aye' really loudly? I mean, how is the prophecy going to know that this is final and all that?"

"For the moment, I am more worried about how to make these two nations understand that it is final." Wu murmured.

"Both sides have agreed to the union…more or less. All that really needs to be done is make it official and set the boundaries," Zane mused.

Kai huffed and folded his arms. "Once again, _how_ do we do that?"

Wu only frowned as the Oni came to a stop. Only Heavy Metal continued walking, approaching the six figures. He eyed Keyda with curiosity.

"So, you decided to come back, eh?"

She shrugged and he chuckled.

"Promise of power too good to pass up?" he asked, and she glared at him.

"Peace…actually."

"Ah," he turned and looked behind him at the two nations. Though they were many yards apart, the tension between the two sides could be felt from where the ninja stood. "And you really think that this is the way it's gonna happen?"

She didn't answer right away as she also stared at the two groups.

"I think this is the way it _could_ happen. But it'll take a lot of work. And a lot of…trust." she said quietly. Heavy Metal sighed and gave a little half-shrug.

"Hope you're right, lass." he turned to Wu. "We came, Dragon Master, like you asked. Now what do you propose we do?"

Everyone looked at Wu expectantly.

"The Dragons have already pledged their loyalty to me…I am their leader at this point. The next step is to make sure the Oni are also united under a leader. The Dragons have traditions and codes they are bound to follow…but how is it that Oni are united?"

Heavy Metal shrugged again.

"Sure, we've got customs. But our following of our customs is very much on a when-it-suits-us-basis. There's no guarantee that the Oni nation would follow any leader indefinitely. There's really only one thing that keeps everyone in line…something the Baron had down pat."

"Fear." Zane guessed, and the Oni nodded.

"Right, metallic man. And right now the two people they fear the most are you," he pointed at Wu, "and you," he pointed at Keyda. "But only one of you is even full Oni. So they'll follow ya Keyda…but perhaps only as long as you can keep them afraid of you."

Keyda looked away. Sounded like she was signing up for a fragile job…part of her still wanted to run away and hide from all of this. But she had come this far…heck, if everything was going to fall apart now she might as well be on the front lines. She pushed herself off from the rock and started walking towards the Oni crowd.

"Where are you going?!" Jay asked as the rest of the team watched her go with mixed looks of disbelief and wariness.

"Figure it's time to see what they really want." she replied. Heavy Metal looked over at the ninja and then started walking after her as she approached the Oni. She stopped and put her hands on her hips.

"LOOK." she shouted, eyeing as many individual Oni as she could. "You all know what's happening right now…and I know that all of you aren't happy about it. But the truth is the Dragons outnumber us and outpower us. So you've all got two options. You follow that guy," she pointed back at Wu, "Who I understand you don't trust…or you follow me, who really doesn't have any leading ability at all. But if you chose to follow me, there's no guarantee that things will all work out. But I do think things can get better. And if you chose to follow me, then going back on that isn't an option." she lit her hands up for emphasis. "Is that clear?!"

The Oni looked at her, many with skeptical looks, but all with a hint of awe and—yes—even fear. She saw Oni from all walks of life in the crowd…she saw those who were from poor villages like the one she was born to and those who held high positions in fortresses. How could anyone lead such a various and caustic people? Could it really only be done by someone as heinous as the Baron? Can destruction truly only be controlled by an Iron fist?

"Today, the Oni and Dragon nations are going to unite, ending the century-long war that so many have died in. It's going to be a chance at peace. But each of our own actions are going to determine how long that peace lasts. But just because we will be united to them and _him_ ," she gestured to the dragons and then to Wu, "doesn't mean that we will be subject to them. Unified or not, we are a people who will be triumphant, not subjected. But it also means that we will give up our attempts at subjecting the Dragons. There is no going back."

The Oni had been murmuring to each other during her whole talk, some even going so far as to boo and hiss. But to Keyda's surprise she found that the majority of the Oni were actually listening to her with a cautious curiosity. In fact, she could have sworn that in some of their eyes, she even saw glimmers of hope. She blinked; perhaps she wasn't the only Oni longing for change and a better world. And there was no way she had been the only one who had doubted that such a world was possible.

"So, what's your decision then?!" she yelled out to the crowd. There ensued an awkward silence and Keyda frowned. She threw a fist in the air. "Are you with me or _not?!"_

The yell of hundreds of combined Oni suddenly echoed across the terrain as nearly every one threw a fist in the air. The ninja watched from their position yards away.

"Wow…I think she's really getting good at that whole public speaking thing…" Jay noted. Kai raised an eyebrow and looked at Wu.

"Yeah…if we put you and her on opposite debate teams, I think she'd give you a run for your money!"

"The point of today is that we are _not_ on opposite teams." Wu replied, pursing his lips.

"The Dragons have a leader…and now so do the Oni. Are we ready for the last phase of this union?" Zane asked. Wu looked out at the wary Dragons and the chanting Oni.

"Well…here goes nothing."

 _Survivors_

The Oni-Dragon-power-struggle quakes were getting stronger; some were strong enough to knock the four teens off their feet. Considering that they needed their balance to avoid deadly traps, this was posing a problem.

"LOOK OUT!" Nya yelled as a quake caused Skylor to trip and slide towards a swinging Ax. She used her water to blast the redhead, causing her slide to quicken so that the swaying blade just missed her. Skylor wiped water-logged hair out of her face.

"Thanks," she said, regaining her feet.

"We only have a few more minutes…" P.I.X.A.L urged, and the group continued their race. They rounded the last corner and all were relieved to see sunlight coming in through the "rabbit-hole" entrance.

"Go, go, go!" Lloyd said, pulling up short of the exit and ushering the girls through first. They ran past and up and out of the stronghold. There wasn't any time for arguing. Another quake shook the stronghold, this one strong enough to cause the lights in the tunnel to go out and chunks of the ceiling to fall. Lloyd dodged a few chunks, reaching the hole. The three girls grabbed his arms and pulled him out of the hole.

"We need to keep moving…even I cannot tell how large the blast is going to be." P.I.X.A.L warned, and the four continued their race through the forest.

"So…you think it will all explode, then?" Nya panted.

"Or perhaps it will implode…but that result would be just as dangerous. The best bet is to get out of here."

"In that case, it's probably time to make a phone call…" Lloyd pulled out Ronin's device.

 _Wu_

Keyda and Wu stood side by side, facing their new followers. Her palms were sweaty as she tried to continue looking confident. How had she gotten to this point? So much had happened in the last week that she couldn't even comprehend it all. And yet it was all she could think about as she looked across the crowds of people...

"Are you ready?" Wu asked, looking over at her with an encouraging smile. But as she met his eyes, she could see that he was just as worried as she was. She didn't answer right away and he sighed a little.

"You…don't have to do this…"

"I don't want to do this…but I do _have_ to do this." she said dully.

"But…"

Her glare cut him off. "We're done talking about it. So…do whatever it is that needs to be done."

He nodded, looking away. He couldn't help feeling like he had trapped her in an impossible position that she would never forgive him for. But surely this was fate…wasn't it?

He began to address the crowd.

"I understand that this is a change that has not easily been accepted. I understand that it will not be something that will be appreciated for a long time to come. But the time has come to unite the Dragon and Oni nations as one. From this moment forward I, the Leader of the Dragons, and Keyda, the Leader of the Oni, will be the joint leadership for this new nation."

The ninja stood a few feet back from Wu and Keyda, watching the proceedings.

"Is it just me, or are there not a lot of happy faces out there?" Jay commented, noticing all the glares in the crowd.

"Ok, Wu said they're a joined nation now…is that it? Is that all that was required?" Kai asked.

Wu turned to Keyda once again. He stretched out his hand for a handshake, and as he did so his body began to emanate Golden light. She looked at it for a second, and then looked down at her own hand as she summoned a purple aura around her fist. She reached out and grasped Wu's outstretched hand for their formal handshake.

As the two auras combined, Keyda's hand started to buzz, as if it was falling asleep. She looked up and shot Wu a worried look. Was he feeling that too? He opened his mouth to say something when some force blasted out from their handshake, knocking them both backwards. The ninja cried out and ran towards them, but as they reached them they found them both unconscious.

 _ **75**_

" _RONIN!"_

The thief snorted awake, bolting upright as his hat went flying off his face.

" _WE NEED PICK UP! NOW!"_

"Sheesh...would it kill you to say please?" Ronin grumbled, still trying to wake up.

" _HURRY!"_

"That didn't really sound like _please…_ " he did start furiously typing into R.E.X's monitor to pin-point the location of the teens. "Alright…I'll be there in a few minutes…"

He started R.E.X's engines as one monitor started beeping an alarm.

"What…" he glanced over at it.

"Hey, guys? I'm picking up some seismic activity here…what exactly did you _do?"_

" _NO TIME….NEED PICK UP….GONNA BLOW…"_

"Oh, _perfect_." Ronin followed the pinpoint on the map. After a minute or so he could see the four figures running. Or rather, trying to run; the shaking ground made it quite difficult. He lowered R.E.X and put her in autopilot so he could open the door and throw down the rope ladder. No way was he gonna risk a landing.

"Grab on!"

P.I.X.A.L grabbed onto the ladder and the three other followed suit it wasn't long before the four were on board, breathing heavily.

Ronin went back over to R.E.X to pilot her out of the labyrinth.

"So... how big of a problem should I be expecting…"

"You should raise your altitude." P.I.X.A.L's tone was no-nonsense, and Ronin raised an eyebrow as he brought REX above the tree line.

Lloyd couldn't help but watch out REX's back window, waiting for the explosion.

"How will we know they were destroyed? Like, really destroyed?" Nya was mainly just putting the question out there; she figured that none of them would ever really know.

"Do you think when they do, that you'll get your powers back?" Skylor asked. Lloyd just sighed.

"I don't know."

They saw the explosion before they heard it. Huge chunks of earth and even whole trees launched into the air as a giant energy wave rolled out across the labyrinth. Everyone yelled out as it hit R.E.X, causing the craft to spin out of control for a few moments before Ronin's expert flying was able to get it steady again.

They were all silent for a while. It was Ronin who decided to play devil's advocate, per the norm.

"Is destroying these things really gonna change anything at all? I mean, the masks were technically in existence for a long time, right? Way before all your problems started…so why would destroying them make any difference?"

"Shut up, Ronin." Nya bristled. P.I.X.A.L looked at the thief.

"We are working to disrupt the disbalance between the Oni and Dragon forces in Ninjago. With the masks now gone, we should see a lower amount of Oni power."

"And…do you?"

P.I.X.A.L was silent for a moment as everyone turned to her, their faces a mix of intrigue, worry, and hope.

"Give me some time to process."

 _Keyda_

Keyda looked around at the bare landscape. It seemed like she was still in the realm…but the area was void of people for as far as she could see. The black sun beat down on her but she hugged herself feeling cold; hadn't it been nearly dawn a few seconds ago? What had happened? Where was she? Where was everybody else?

"Keyda?" She turned around and there was Golden-Boy.

"What happened? Did you _kill us?!"_ She couldn't help but blame him; this was all his stupid plan anyways.

"Uh…" he sounded like he wanted to say something reassuring, but he seemed to be just as lost as she was.

"Do not worry…you will be returned to your friends shortly." A voice rumbled around them. It was deep…and almost golden in sound. Keyda blinked as a dragon materialized in front of them and panicked as she recognized the Elder. She dropped into a defensive stance while the Elder chuckled.

Wait…no…not the Elder. This dragon did look similar to him, but his voice was definitely different…and he looked a lot younger than the Elder as well.

"Are you…Antirock?" Wu asked. She glanced over at him; he sure was quick to make connections. The Dragon chuckled again.

"Indeed."

"But…I thought you were dead," Keyda blurted out.

"I am…but having my prophecy broken has permitted certain…allowances."

"It's broken then? The prophecy?" Wu asked. The Dragon lay down, crossing two massive clawed forearms.

"Indeed."

"You have no idea what it means to us that you have finally unified the realm." A new voice entered the conversation, and a figure appeared next to Antirock. Keyda gulped; it was an Oni woman with long braided hair and two curving horns.

"Why do you have horns?!" Keyda asked, incredulous. The Oni laughed lightly, which took Keyda by surprise as well. She had never known an Oni to laugh lightheartedly.

"There is much that was present in Oni of the past that has since been lost to today's Oni…"

"Echo, I presume," Wu said, and the horned Oni nodded. The Dragon Master continued.

"Why bring us here? To let us know the prophecy has been fulfilled? Or rather…broken?"

"Yes…but also to warn you that the path ahead is only going to get more difficult." Echo explained. "You have united the realms politically, maybe, but it will take a very long time for the change to make it to the hearts of those in this realm. There is a lot of work to be done and there will be dangers as well. You will have to be strong. There will never be peace if loathing continues in the hearts of Dragon and Oni alike."

"We didn't exactly expect an easy path when we signed up for it…" Keyda muttered under her breath, but she couldn't stop staring at the Oni Woman. Mainly her horns.

Echo stood and walked down to her, putting her hands on Keyda's shoulders as she looked into her eyes.

"No…of course not. But we wanted to tell you that you are on the right track…and through sacrifice and perseverance you will be able to accomplish your goals."

Keyda swallowed. "I have so many questions…" she whispered. Her questions weren't really about the Union, or even the strange world she currently found herself in. This was the Oni that the Elder had mentioned…the one who he said was like her. The one who had felt love before and had died for it.

"I know…but I'm afraid we don't have the time." The horned Oni studied Keyda's face a few more seconds and then unexpectedly drew her into a hug. Keyda stiffened. Echo laughed again as she embraced her rigid body.

"It's called a hug, Keyda. You can relax…"

Keyda closed her eyes; she was pretty sure she had never been hugged before. At least, not that she had remembered. But after a few moments she relaxed and even wrapped her arms around the ancient Oni. It was strange…this Oni was only a stranger, yet this single embrace gave her heart a feeling of home.

Echo drew back and looked down at Keyda with a maternal look.

"You are strong. And you have discovered more about yourself and about the world than any Oni currently out there. Be true to yourself, Keyda. You've had to do a lot of trusting in those around you…but it's time that you trust yourself as well. That power inside of you…"

"Hatred." Keyda said, and Echo smiled in a way that implied that it was more than just that.

"Yes…Hatred is the strongest force behind destruction, and it's what caused you to unlock your powers in the first place…but there is more to what is inside of you than just Hatred. You've undoubtedly realized how your strongest emotions interact with it—our power flows easily when we are angry, or hateful…but through practice it can be summoned in other times of need as well. Like when you used it to save that boy…"

"You know about that?" Keyda asked, surprised. Now she had more questions than ever, but Echo smiled sadly.

"Yes…and I wish we had more time to talk, but perhaps we have kept you too long already…"

While Echo and Keyda talked, Antirock had been speaking to Wu.

"I understand that it will be a long time before the change makes it to their hearts and all of that…but…" Wu began. Antirock cut him off, guessing his question.

"Yes, the union has disbanded all the restraints set forth by the prophecy; you will be able to return to your home realm with your friends. But you must not stay there; it is imperative that you return as soon as you possibly can…"

"Of course." Wu said. "I will not abandon this realm…but I made a promise to protect the old one, along with my brother. Now with him the way he is, it falls on me…"

"You will not defeat him alone. But it is also true that those you left behind will require you and your friends to do it." Antirock said simply. The world around them started to blur and Wu and Keyda realized that their time with their ancient forerunners was coming to an end.

"Please…I need your help…I need you to help me…" Keyda pleaded as Echo started to fade. The other Oni smiled sadly.

"You will have help, dear girl. But remember, you must trust yourself."

Antirock looked at Wu and smiled. "Your father is very proud of you." Wu's eyes grew misty at the mention of his father. And then like that, the world faded to black.

 _Ninja_

"Look, you better all calm down before I _give_ you something to worry about!" Kai yelled at the Dragon and Oni. Both sides had started getting extremely agitated after seeing Wu and Keyda pass out; many were taking it as a sign.

"Oh yeah, that's really gonna help them calm down, Kai. Good job." Jay called to him. The red ninja turned, irritated.

"Well, then you better get Wu to wake up so he can shower them with all his pretty talk. As it is, if they don't wake up soon we're gonna have a riot on our hands!"

Jay sat with Zane, who was analyzing Wu.

"All his vitals and other signs indicate that he is in a shallow level of sleep…so it is strange that we are unable to wake him…"

"Hmm, sleeping you don't wake up from….that's what being _unconscious_ means!" Jay yelled. A few yards away Cole sat holding Keyda, looking for signs that she was waking up. It really did just seem like she was sleeping, but the whole power-surge worried him. He thought of his mind void; could they have gone to a similar place? He felt a flash of panic. Could they have gone to limbo?...

"HE'S WAKING UP!" Jay's yells caused Cole to look over at him and Zane. Sure enough, it seemed like Wu was stirring. He felt Keyda move and he looked back down at her.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the Idiot glaring at her. She blinked a few times.

"Still mad, then?" she muttered. He scoffed.

"Is this what you're gonna do every time we fight? Pass out and make a huge scene for attention?"

"Well, it seemed to work so well for you…."

He rolled his eyes, not amused. She smirked a little.

"Are you alright, then? What happened?"

She strained to get upright and he helped her to sit up.

"The union is completed…the prophecy is broken…"

Wu told the other ninja as much a few yards away.

"Of course there had to be a lot of magical fanfare; couldn't just have a nice hand-shake wrap everything up…" Jay grumbled.

"Well, there really is nothing like sealing off a magical deal with a vision of those who invented it…" Wu mused.

"You saw Antirock?" Zane asked, incredulous.

"But…isn't that guy dead?" Kai pointed out. Wu looked past his students and the restless crowd.

"I promise I will fill you all in…but it appears that at the moment we have a more pressing matter to smooth over…"

25


	17. Part 16

Nicki's Story

 _ **76**_

Wu closed his eyes briefly, collecting his thoughts. He had spent some time calming the Dragons and Oni. In the end it was decided that the Oni would head back to the Baron's fortress with Keyda and He would ride the Ultra Dragon and take the Dragons back to Dragon Haven. United Nation or not, it was probably best to keep the two groups exclusive for the time being as they warmed up to the idea of _not_ attacking each other. He was here in the underground Dragon bunker, where the dragons finally seemed to have calmed down. Now, he was going to rile them up all over again.

He cleared his throat to get their attention, and a worm of worry ate at his stomach. He wasn't sure how they were going to take this.

"I wanted to say…thank you. For helping me make this union. I know that letting go of centuries of anger towards the wrongs done to you will not be an easy task. But along the way, some rights will be returned. For instance, if you do not wish to live underground, none are required to; it is time Dragons take to the sky once again. Now you can do so without worry of capture."

The Dragons roared in celebration, and Wu felt a few of the nervous butterflies settle. He wondered why he was so nervous around his followers; he was used to leading—sometimes even large groups. But even leading elemental masters was nothing like leading huge flying reptiles.

"In the next three days, I want the Dragons to spend time getting organized. I would like to know how many of you there are…what abilities you possess. It seems only right that I get to know each of you."

The dragons didn't really react to that part. Wu took a deep breath.

"During these three days, I…will not be around. I'm trusting you all to be resourceful while I am away on a journey."

Here he could hear the animosity rumbling through his ranks. He swallowed.

"I understand that it doesn't make sense for me to leave right now…but the truth is that there is a great force poisoning my home realm. I am not the only son of the child of old…and right now my brother is as connected to the Oni power as I am to the Dragon power. If I and my students do not travel there to curb his reign, he will undoubtably destroy that realm. And once he has, there will be nothing to stop him from coming here."

The Dragons looked at each other as he spoke. He knew they were probably trying to tell if he was lying or not. He boarded the Ultra Dragon.

"Three days. Then I promise I will be back. In the meantime, feel free to look for new homes and to take to the skies. Though I must remind you that attacking Oni is strictly prohibited…"

The Dragons watched, perplexed, as their newly-called leader seemingly abandoned them.

"I will be back. You have my word." And with that, the Dragon-Master disappeared as the Ultra-Dragon went running down the exit tunnel.

 _Keyda_

"Wait…you're leaving?!"

Keyda didn't make eye-contact as she quickly packed a sack with a few provisions from the fortress. The Oni had all arrived and Keyda had spent the better part of the day trying to find enough places for everyone to sleep and camp out. The higher castes had the rooms in the fortress, while the lower rungs were in tents outside. She didn't like the Oni hierarchy of power…but that was a war to be fought another day. The important thing was everyone seemed settled.

She turned to Heavy Metal, who was raising an incredulous eyebrow.

"You can handle things while I'm gone. You were the Baron's right-hand, after all…"

"If you remember…I wasn't supposed to make any decisions. I _never_ made any decisions under the Baron. The only thing I know how to do is follow orders…"

"Then here's an order: Don't let anyone know I'm gone. It's only going to be for a few days at most. A…previous engagement I'm bound to."

"What am I supposed to…"

"The Baron wasn't out in public 24/7, was he? Make something up…tell them I want my privacy."

"After all that…you're just gonna leave?"

Keyda sighed. It seemed like it took Heavy Metal awhile to process things.

" _I'll be back_. In the meantime you can carry out the dragon-release orders."

"But…"

" _DON'T_ tell me you can't do that, because you were the Baron's chief enforcer." her tone had become sharp as she turned to him. "Your power and influence might have been tied to his…but that doesn't mean that all your skills disappeared with his death. All you have to do is hold the fort down for a few days and not let everything get out of hand."

Heavy Metal eyed her with annoyance and distrust.

"Maybe I should just oust you now as the abandoner you are…"

"You could." she slung the bag over her shoulder. "But you and I know that would only create nasty chaos at this point…and a power vacuum. And unless you want some of those other oily jerks bossing you around, I suggest you follow my plan." She headed out of the door and down the hall.

"How will you get out unnoticed?" he whispered loudly after her. He still seemed pretty annoyed. She turned to look at him.

"I have my ways. See you in a few days."

 _Ninja_

The ninja were tired of waiting around; every second that ticked by was another second they weren't back home. They were so _close…_ but under their nerves and excitement was an underlying sense of dread.

"Ok…I'm just gonna say it," Kai spoke up from where he was lounging up against his elemental dragon, foot twitching in impatience. "What are we going to do if we get back and Garmadon has some kind of crazy army? Or if all our friends have been wiped out? Or if there's nothing left at _all?!"_

"You can't think that way!" Jay cut in. He had been humming, pacing, and a dozen other things that betrayed how determined he was to be positive. "I mean, there's just as likely a chance that everyone's already taken back the realm and we can just fly into a well needed vacation…"

"It is sometimes best to plan for the worst case scenario…just in case." Zane pointed out. Jay shrugged.

"Look, all I know is that whatever Garmadon has been up to, the others are fine. Nya is, at least."

"And how do you reckon that? Your love stretches across realms now?" Cole asked, sarcastically. Jay rolled his eyes.

"Don't you remember the first spinjitzu master's tomb? It's fate… _fate I tell you!_ We're gonna go back, get our friends back, beat the bad guys, take back the realm…"

"And live happily ever after?" Cole finished in a sardonic tone. Jay waved him off.

"Mock all you want. The power of positive thinking has helped us in the past. Don't try to deny it."

"I just think that…"

"Can it, guys. Wu's on his way back," Kai snapped. He had enough to worry about without Jay and Cole starting up again. The ninja watched as the Ultra-Dragon drew closer. Wu did a quick head count as he landed.

"She's not here…" he said as he dismounted. Kai gave a half shrug.

"Maybe she decided she didn't want to come after all. She has a whole nation that she could rule without you…"

"Or maybe not all of us have dragon transportation." a voice cut in. Everyone turned in surprise as Keyda seemed to materialize a few yards away. She was wearing her normal surly expression and had a sack slung over one shoulder. "Are we ready then?"

"Geez…" Jay said. "We need to get you a bell or something," his comment just earned him a glare.

"How exactly _are_ we doing this, Wu?" Zane asked. His sensei looked over with a small smile.

"The Ultra-Dragon has gone between our realms before. He knows the way."

The rest of the team was incredulous. "But…but I thought we couldn't just get on a dragon and go back?!" Jay reminded.

"We couldn't go back without the _Dragon Master…_ because he was the only one with the necessary power to counter Garmadon's new Oni power. But now we have found the Dragon Master, overturned the prophecy's imprisoning effects, and now should _technically_ be able to get back to Ninjago."

"Technically?!" Kai asked, astounded. Wu shrugged.

"Guess we'll never know till we try, right?"

"Why not just take our own Elemental Dragons?" Cole asked, looking up at the brown Dragon that was currently towering over him.

 _We have never physically crossed over the realm barrier…but based on the deeper connections forged here, we should be able to appear as an extension of your elemental powers, as we did years ago before the Oni presence in your realm forced us away._

"Awwww… so you aren't coming?" Jay was pouting a bit. "So, no elemental dragons…and I still don't see why we can't bring the entire dragon army along for support. _That_ would certainly help our cause!"

Wu shook his head. "The transition from this realm to ours is going to be tricky enough with just the one dragon who actually _knows_ the way. Anything more than that could mean that none of us will make it. Now, everyone onboard."

The ninja clambered onto the Ultra Dragon. Keyda looked behind her before joining them. There was much more room on the Ultra-Dragon for the six of them than there had been on Jay's elemental dragon, though there was still only one saddle.

Jay sat, excited to take off. Despite the rest of his friends' negative outlooks, he was determined not to give up hope on his "happily-ever-after," as Cole put it. Surely they had all come so far and succeeded against so much…they could solve this last little problem and get on with the rest of their lives. He felt like that wasn't so much to ask.

He glanced over at the rest of his companions as the Ultra-Dragon opened its wings for take-off. They all seemed lost in their own thoughts. He noticed Keyda was sitting next to Cole. He still wasn't sure how he felt about _that._ Not that it would even work out anyways; Keyda had to come back here… so really it wasn't even worth worrying about. His thoughts turned back to his own girlfriend and he smiled as the dragon flew through the rays of sunset.

"Hey, Kai!"

The red ninja looked up, torn from his own thoughts.

"What?"

"I'm letting you know in advance... the second I see Nya, I'm gonna dip her…"

Kai caught on to where this was heading. "Just…stop…"

"And I'm gonna _kiss her._ So don't say that I didn't warn you."

Kai dry washed his face, looking disgusted. "You realize that it's ten times worse that you told me in advance, right? That you even _felt_ like you _needed to tell me…."_

Everyone shared a chuckle at that, all except Keyda, who just looked confused.

"Wait…what?"

Everyone looked over at her. Jay noticed her expression and scoffed.

"Don't you Oni know what kissing is?"

"What… _what is?"_

Jay was shocked. "Well no _wonder_ the Oni are always in such bad moods…"

Keyda flushed. Jay figured that she probably didn't enjoy being teased, but he couldn't help it. The angry Oni sure liked to act like she knew everything…but she didn't even know what _kissing_ was?

"Is anybody actually going to explain it…or…"

She flushed again as the laughing started up once more. She turned to Kai, trying to at least fill in the blanks.

"So…it's something that _he_ likes…" she pointed a thumb at Jay. "But you don't….are you bad at it or something?"

The rest of the ninja laughed harder and it was Kai's turn to turn bright red. Wu could be heard snickering in his place at the front of the dragon.

" _NO…_ it's just…uh…" he cleared his throat, glaring at his friends. "I just don't enjoy watching Jay kiss my _sister…_ "

Keyda blinked. Kai wondered if she was surprised that he had a sister. Not that she had ever _asked_ about his family. He eyed daggers at his still snickering friends. Time to direct the attention elsewhere.

"If you really want to know more about kissing, maybe you should ask _Cole_ to show you…"

Cole immediately sobered. Keyda turned to him expectantly.

"Shut up, Kai…."

Keyda threw her arms up in exasperation. "Would someone just _explain…"_

"To kiss: the act…" Zane chimed in with what sounded like the beginning of a dictionary definition.

" _OK, THAT'S ENOUGH."_ Cole cut him off and covered the nindroid's mouth amid more laughter. Keyda glared at him for interrupting the only person who was actually willing to explain to her what was going on. He ignored her look, calling up to the Dragon Master at the front of the Dragon.

"Wu! Are we almost to…wherever it is we're heading?"

"We are approaching the proper altitude. Everybody, hold on!"

The ninja looked around for something to hold on _to_ as the atmosphere around them became hazy. Wu took a deep breath.

"Here…we…go…."

 _ **77**_

"So…." Ronin couldn't help but cut in. "What exactly is it that you're doing?"

P.I.X.A.L sighed internally. "I took readings of both the Oni and Dragon power frequencies while in the stronghold. I'm analyzing the fallout of the explosion to see which kind of power…if either…is more prevalent. Then, if I may connect myself to the…illicit hardward in your craft, I may be able to do a more wide-spread scan for the frequencies over a larger distance."

"And that will help you determine what exactly?"

"It will hopefully give us some kind of understanding of whether or not the balance has been skewed…"

"And we want it skewed _why?"_

"Because then I might actually be able to conjur my elemental dragon. It might actually give us a heads up on _Garmadon."_ Nya's tone implied that she didn't appreciate all Ronin's questions. He rolled his eyes.

"Well, fine then. Knock yourself out. In the meantime…I'm heading back to the Sam X cave. With P.I.X.A.L on her mystical-power-search, I'm gonna need someone else manning the SoG monitor…"

"On it." Skylor volunteered, eager to have something useful to do. P.I.X.A.L ignored Ronin's quips and went over to R.E.X's motherboard to plug herself in so she could increase her range.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes while she processed. Finally, Nya couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Though nothing is conclusive…based on these readings it seems that both the armor and the masks were destroyed. I am not picking up either of their signatures…"

Everyone let that sink in.

"Hopefully we don't need that armor for anything else." Ronin commented dryly.

"As far as overall power signatures, even REX's larger range isn't really enough to draw any definite conclusions. Though, the data so far does seem to indicate a return to the even balance."

Nya looked down at her hands.

"Don't even _think_ about forming a dragon inside my ship," Ronin snapped without looking back at her. Nya glared at the back of his head.

"I _wasn't…_ "

"Sure…"

REX continued to speed along, Skylor calling out every once and awhile that the way ahead seemed clear of threats. Lloyd sat silently, looking down at the floor, thinking. _Did_ destroying the masks make a difference? He couldn't help but feel a little bit of regret that he didn't touch the golden armor when he had the chance. Now it was gone…and with it, any hope he had of a power re-charge. He struggled to come up with the next step in their plan. Well…he knew what the next step was, but given that it was basically just "defeat Garmadon and Harumi" he knew he was going to need to come up with a way to actually _accomplish_ that.

"Wait."

Everyone glanced up at P.I.X.A.L, who seemed to be analyzing something that didn't make sense.

"Is something wrong?" Lloyd asked, but she didn't seem to hear him. She turned to Ronin.

"There seems to be some kind of anomaly but we're too far out for me to analyze it. I need to you to head south."

"South? To check out an anomaly? Are you sure that's not just gonna be a waste of time?"

"I am not sure what it is, but there seems to be some kind of dragon-power surge…but like I said, I cannot actually figure out what it is unless I am closer to it."

"It could be a trap," Skylor warned.

"If it was a surge of Oni power, I could believe that," Lloyd pointed out. "I mean, my fa…Garmadon could have done that. But Dragon Power? That seems like a harder thing to duplicate." Everyone had turned to look at him and he suddenly realized that they were waiting for him to make the final decision. He thought about it for a few moments.

"Let's go check it out."

 _Harumi_

Mr. E typed furiously into the monitors in Borg Tower. A few minutes back their sensors had picked up on the remnants of some kind of surge, and he was trying to pinpoint the location.

"Any idea what it could be?" Harumi hissed from nearby. Mr. E shrugged, his unblinking eyes never leaving the screen.

"Traces of Oni power…I would estimate it has something to do with the masks."

Harumi pounded a fist on the table. How on earth did Lloyd slip through her fingers once again? And with the _masks_ on top of it. She had discovered the theft when she had discovered Mr. E. She hadn't let herself worry too much about it; after all, she was sure they would find the rebels quickly, masks in hand. But now she couldn't help wonder if they were trying to harness the power for themselves…or had learned how to destroy the masks altogether?

"Can you pinpoint the location?"

Mr. E continued typing.

"Based on this reading…it seems to have originated somewhere in or around Haroshi's labyrinth."

"Then I want troops dispatched right away. I want…"

"No."

A voice came from behind her, and she whirled around to bow.

"Emperor Garmadon….I did not hear you come in…"

"The masks are not any of our concern anymore…"

"But the masks will tell us where _Lloyd_ is, your highness…"

"He is not our concern anymore either." Garmadon said, causing Harumi to blink in surprise.

"But I thought…"

"My brother has managed to make it back to this realm."

Harumi went cold. "You're sure?"

Garmadon narrowed his eyes at her. She regretted questioning him but held his gaze with her head held high. There was no reason to cower to him.

"I am sure. He has returned to the realm."

"You can sense him." Harumi realized. "So…you know where he is? Are the ninja with him?"

"I know that he has returned to the realm. I have no connection to my brother's students…but I doubt he would have left them behind."

"We will stop them regardless." Harumi assured. "They'll be down one ninja already,"

Garmadon turned to her, face serious. "What do you mean?"

"You told me one was in limbo, with the rest of your soul. So I doubt he will be a problem."

"Indeed…" Garmadon mused. He was quiet for a few moments more, thinking. "And yet, my soul was alone last I checked in."

Harumi tried not to sigh in exasperation. "Which means…what, exactly?"

Garmadon glanced over. "Which means that if any of our forces dig up the Master of Earth, I have a few questions for him. As for the rest of my brother's students and their allies, you can do what you think is best. The only one I need alive for my plan to work is Wu."

"So you no longer require Lloyd?"

"No. You are free to do with him what you wish."

"Understood." Harumi smirked. "Then I suppose it's time to get our forces moving… nothing draws out the ninja like threatening Ninjago City."

 _Survivors_

Ronin grunted as he flew through the fog. He wasn't sure what kind of anomaly the robot chick was tracking, but he didn't really like flying blind and she was still commandeering his monitors. He was about ready to go against the decision to "check it out"-his ship, his rules, after all—but the robot finally spoke up.

"I don't have a lot of data to compare to…but based on these readings a Dragon has entered our realm…"

"A Dragon?!" Nya asked.

"There's only one Dragon that I've ever seen in Ninjago…" Lloyd mused. Nya turned to him.

"Do you think it's the Ultra-Dragon? Because he would _certainly_ be an asset in the next few days…" Nya said, voice full of hope.

"But why would he show up now?" Lloyd wondered. Skylor chimed in from her station by the SoG monitor.

"Maybe he's been trying to for a while but couldn't, and now that the Oni masks are destroyed he finally was able to make it back."

Hearing this made Lloyd feel a whole lot better about the whole mask-destroying-endeavor. If doing so really did make it so that they could have a dragon join their side, it would make the last day a whole lot more worth it.

"We are getting close now…" P.I.X.A.L updated her team. In fact, she was close enough that she was picking up some other signatures. One seemed to be technological…

"Well…I'm glad you're so sure," Ronin grumbled. "…because I can't see a…."

"Land the ship." P.I.X.A.L cut in with an odd tone of voice. She had turned from the monitors and was staring out the window in an almost desperate manner. Ronin looked over at her.

"What? I can't land in this, I don't even…"

" _LAND THE SHIP, NOW!"_

The whole team went silent as they looked over at P.I.X.A.L in surprise. They had heard her be passive aggressive, angry, and even sullen. But none of them had ever heard her _yell_ at someone _._ Even Ronin decided it was probably better for him just to comply. As REX plummeted to the ground for a rocky landing, the android continued looking out the window, as if she was searching for something.

"Pix, is everything ok? Are we under attack?" Lloyd asked. Everyone couldn't help being a little worried. P.I.X.A.L didn't respond; she just seemed to be talking to herself.

"How…how could I be getting these readings…"

"What readings? What's going on?!" Nya demanded as REX finally came to a stop in a field.

"There, pretty skilled landing, if I do say so myself…" Ronin said as P.I.X.A.L ripped the mainframe chords out of herself. The thief grunted. "HEY! Careful with that!"

But P.I.X.A.L had already reached the exit and was now running through the fog-covered grass. Lloyd, Skylor, and Nya looked at each other in shock. What on earth had gotten into her?

"Ronin…" Nya started, but the thief just sighed and waved away her comment.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll stay with the ship and keep checking for S.O.G. You go figure out what shorted out in your friend there." He pulled out his magazine as the three other teens darted off after P.I.X.A.L.

 _ **78**_

"That was the most terrifying experience of my life." Keyda muttered. Jay looked over at her and couldn't help but laugh; her thick black hair was crazier than normal and she looked harrowed by the realm-shift experience.

"Yeah…I forgot that Dragons do the whole dive-bomb thing in order to transport between realms."

"We probably could have given a little bit more warning," Kai agreed. The Ultra Dragon had landed and they were trying to figure out where they were. He and Wu had already dismounted and were looking around. "I don't recognize this part of Ninjago…"

"The fog everywhere certainly doesn't help." Cole added. His brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to slide off the dragon without hurting himself. "Any ideas, Zane?"

The Nindroid jumped off the Dragon and helped Cole with his dismount. "Luckily, as a Nindroid I am not as easily impaired by obstacles such as fog," Zane said with a smile. "I'm scanning now…we seem to be in a southern part of Ninjago…" he trailed off, frowning. Cole gave him a quizzical look as he leaned on the Ultra-Dragon for a bit of extra support.

"What's up?" Jay asked, trying not to be worried at Zane's expression or his sudden silence.

"You pick up on some bad-guys in the area or something?" Kai added. Zane shook his head.

"No…in fact it actually seems like…" his eyebrows shot up and he began walking away from the group.

"Seems like _WHAT,_ Zane?!" Jay called after him as the Nindroid began striding through the long grass.

Keyda had made her own way off the Dragon and slid an arm around Cole's waist to support him. He jumped, not expecting it, and gave her a confused look. She rolled her eyes.

"Calm down, Idiot. You still need all the help you can get. Especially if we have to go chase down the metal man…"

 _"…Zane?"_

A female voice suddenly floated through the fog, cutting Keyda off and making her hair stand on end. She immediately became prepared to attack.

"What the heck was _that?!"_ she hissed. They could still see Zane up ahead, and he started running.

"ZANE!" There was that voice again, and Keyda watched as a figure burst through the fog and jumped at the metal man. At first she assumed that it was someone attacking him; he seemed ready for it and caught the figure in the middle of their assault. But after hearing them laughing, she wondered if perhaps it wasn't an attack at all.

"Is that… _P.I.X.A.L?!"_ Jay asked in disbelief. Everyone started picking their way towards the Robotic couple. The Master of Lightening began looking around frantically. "Wait, do you think Nya is here somewhere too?"

Meanwhile P.I.X.A.L couldn't help but run a million algorithms as she studied Zane's face.

"You are here…you are _alive…_ " she put a hand on his face. " _How_ are you alive?"

He grabbed her hand with a small smile.

"It is a long story…but I am excited to share it with you. How did you know we were coming back?"

"I did not know…but we picked up an anomaly and decided to check it out…"

"We? Who else is with you?"

Before she got a chance to answer, Lloyd, Skylor and Nya burst through the fog and into the clearing. They all pulled up short when they saw who P.I.X.A.L was with.

"Is that…" Lloyd started just as Nya gasped "How?!" She didn't have a lot of processing time, however, because in the next second she was blindsided as some force hit and nearly knocked her off her feet. She looked up into a beaming, freckled face.

" _JAY?!"_

"Sorry I'm late…" he made a show to dip her low and then went in for a kiss. She was too shocked to do anything but kiss him back for a few seconds, but then she pulled back. Her brain was not processing any of this…had Ronin somehow killed them in the fog?

"Are we dead?! Is this the departed realm?" she demanded as Jay pulled her up. He laughed and shook his head. Her heart skipped a beat…she had almost forgotten how much she loved that laugh.

"I don't think so…unless the Ultra-Dragon took us to the departed realm by mistake…"

"The Ultra-Dragon? Wait…how…how are you alive? How did you survive?" Lloyd had a million questions as well. As the shock wore off his throat tightened. He looked past the two couples in front of him and almost started crying when he saw the other figures in the distance.

"You're _all_ alive?! How? Where's…where's Wu?"

"I'm right here, nephew."

Lloyd looked over to see stranger wearing golden armor, smiling at him. He couldn't have been much older than Lloyd himself. The Green Ninja laughed in delight.

"Wu?! You're alive! And you grew up!" he laughed again, eyes swimming with tears as Wu gave him a hug. "But I saw you all die…how on earth did you survive?"

Kai reached the hugging masses and pulled Jay off his sister.

"Alright, you had your fun. Out of the way."

"KAI!" She jumped into him and he caught her in a hug.

"Heya, sis. Sorry if we worried you…it's been a crazy week for sure." She tried to laugh, but the reality of the situation finally seemed to have hit home and she started crying.

"You're alright…you're all alright…" As she came out of her hug with her big brother she looked around, still not quite believing it. Zane, Jay, Kai…they were all _here!_ She even spotted Cole over by the Ultra-Dragon…but who was with him?

"Hey, Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh…who's that…person with Cole?"

Jay and Kai both glanced over at their friend.

"Oh, that's Keyda. She's…an Oni." Kai said vaguely.

"She's…wait, she's a _what?"_ Nya was incredulous.

"Don't worry! She's here to help defeat Garmadon. She's a good Oni." Jay explained, though it didn't seem to help Nya's confusion.

"Most of the time…" Kai added unhelpfully.

"What?! You guys go missing for a week and then show up on the Ultra-Dragon with an _Oni_ of all things…" she looked over at them again and noticed that the Oni chick had her arm around Cole.

"Wait…wait, are her and Cole… _does he…._ "

"IIIIIII prefer not to think about it, actually…." Kai admitted. Nya looked between Kai and Jay's uncomfortable expressions to Cole with the Oni girl and decided that she might need to sit down. As she was looking around at the group, taking it all in, she noticed that Skylor was standing a ways back. Nya felt a little pang of guilt as she caught the redhead's self-conscious stance. She turned back to her brother.

"Hey Kai, there's someone else you should probably go greet…"

Skylor had watched all the proceedings with the same mix of joy and disbelief that everyone else was experiencing. The difference was that while the rest of her team was hugging and catching up, she couldn't help but feel like an outsider once again…like she was intruding on something personal that she wasn't really meant to be a part of. So she hung back. She was surprised when she saw Kai start picking his way over to her.

"You're here!" he said, wearing his usual characteristic smirk. "Did you miss me?" She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't quite keep the smile off her face.

"Oh, sure…but while you guys were off riding your pet dragon the rest of us were here getting some _real_ work done…"

"Is that right?" He smiled at her, but below his ego and confidence she suddenly realized that the red ninja seemed a little self-conscious. It wasn't like they ever had an established relationship…maybe he was just unsure of himself.

"That's _exactly_ right…" Skylor said, eyebrow raised and arms folded. Then she smiled and gave him a hug. "But it's good to have you back regardless.

 _ **79**_

It seemed that the figure who Keyda had thought was attacking Zane was like him…made of metal. It was strange for her to think that there were other metal-people like Zane walking around out there; he had seemed pretty one-of-a-kind. Whoever this girl was, they seemed close.

She heard Jay gasp when other figures burst into view.

"Nya!"

It sounded like he wanted to yell it, but the word seemed to catch in his throat at the same time. She couldn't help but shake her head as she watched him basically bowl a dark-haired girl over. That was the girl that they had talked about on the dragon….Kai's sister, if she remembered right. She watched in fascination at what Jay did next.

"So…that's kissing then?"

Cole shrugged in an uncommitted sort of way.

"It looks weird."

He couldn't help but laugh at that. She frowned at him.

"I'm serious…what kind of greeting is that?!"

Cole shook his head, as if he didn't even know what to say to her.

"It's not a greeting…it's more like something you only do…" he sort of trailed off, seemingly uncomfortable.

"Are you actually gonna finish that thought? _"_ She asked, irritated. What the heck was with these guys? They clammed up over the randomest things!

"You know…when you really like someone."

"I've still never seen…"

Cole sighed, annoyed. "In a _romantic_ way…"

Things finally started clicking in Keyda's mind; this 'kissing' was a romantic action. She flushed at the thought and then cursed herself. What was she flushing for?

"So Jay and this Nya are…romantic…" she clarified. She looked over and noticed that for some reason Cole was also bright red.

"Yup. Painfully, at times."

Part of her wanted to ask more while the other part of her just wanted to change the subject. Kai had gone and embraced his sister by this point, and she suddenly realized that the girl was staring at her. Even though she was a ways across the field, Keyda couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the girl's scrutinizing gaze. It suddenly hit her that even though the colorful outsiders had more or less accepted her, there was no guarantee that their friends would. The thought made her feel very alone.

A green figured picked his way over to them. He seemed a bit younger than the rest of the outsiders…yet he also had this older feel around him, like he had experienced a lot in his short life. He reminded her of Wu, actually.

"I still can't believe it." Lloyd said, giving Cole a hug. Keyda unstrung her arm and stood apart, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. The blonde kid continued.

"I mean…I… _watched_ you all die. And yet here you all are, safe and sound…" he suddenly caught sight of Cole's many scrapes and bruises, as well as the fact that his friend seemed to be having trouble standing upright. "Well…mainly, at least. Are you alright?"

"Never better," Cole replied, making more of an effort to appear totally fine. Keyda rolled her eyes as the Idiot continued.

"I'm glad to see that _you're_ ok, Lloyd…we've been worried about you and the others ever since we…well, disappeared."

"Wu told me a bit about that…but you guys still have a whole lot more explaining to do for sure." He glanced over at Keyda with a smile. "He also told me you brought some reinforcements…"

Keyda narrowed her eyes as he held out a hand.

"It's good to meet you…uh…" he trailed off when he caught her expression.

"Keyda." she responded. The blonde kept his hand out, though he seemed to be feeling a little awkward that she wasn't taking it. She sighed internally and grudgingly shook it.

"Keyda…that's right. Wu told me…"

"No doubt." she cut him off again, eyebrow raised. "Nice outfit. You fit right in with the rest of these clowns."

"Huh." Lloyd looked at Cole, as if for an explanation. The ninja in black just rolled his eyes.

"I'd say her bark is worse than her bite…but having been a victim of both it's actually hard to say which is worse…" Keyda folded her arms defiantly, glaring at him.

Lloyd just shook his head. He couldn't help but wonder if he was just having some insane dream, after all, and they'd just wake up inside of REX. The whole situation certainly felt pretty surreal.

There was another flurry of motion as Jay's girlfriend came running over to hug Cole. Apparently, no one had warned her of his condition, because her enthusiasm sent him careening backwards. Keyda and Lloyd lunged out and managed to catch him.

"Oh my gosh!" Nya said, "I'm so sorry! I guess I just remember you being a little more…sturdy…"

"S'alright, Nya," Cole was back to standing position again. "Just…caught me by surprise. Like I was just telling Lloyd, it's good to see that you're all ok. Considering what we left, we weren't sure how you guys were faring…"

"How _we_ were faring?!" Nya exclaimed, giving her old friend a much gentler hug. "You guys are the ones who died!"

Keyda frowned as she watched the embrace.

"You thought they were dead?" she asked dryly. Nya looked over at her for the first time.

"Up till a few minutes ago…they _were_ dead. We had a funeral and everything…"

"Speaking of which…" Jay had come up to join the group. "Kai and I had a bet going on who you missed _more…."_

Nya slugged him in the arm. "Jay Walker, that's not even funny. Do you know how horrific this past week has been?!"

Jay rubbed his arm ruefully as Cole laughed. Wu walked up with Zane and P.I.X.A.L close behind.

"I'm sorry to cut the reunion short, but no doubt my brother has picked up on the disturbance between Oni and Dragon Power. Even if he doesn't know we are here right now, it probably won't take him long to figure it out…"

"But everyone in Ninjago believes you are dead…Garmadon included." P.I.X.A.L pointed out. Her arm was around Zane, like she was afraid that he'd disappear again if she let go.

"Perhaps…but my brother and I have always been a little more in tune with the goings-on of Ninjago than the average citizen. It is best if we work as if we are on the verge of being discovered. Now, Lloyd," the Green ninja turned to him. "We need to formulate a plan…"

"Ok, right…" Lloyd said. It had been weird enough to see Wu as a baby, or toddler… for some reason it was even weirder having his uncle be the same age as him. "Maybe we should head back to the Samurai X cave; that's where everyone else is waiting."

Wu raised an eyebrow. "Everyone else?"

They heard an engine overhead and everyone looked up to see Ronin poking his head out of REX.

"Well, well, well. Looks like miracles do still happen after all. You guys'll have to teach me your coming-back-from-the-dead tricks later; right now we need to get back to the Samarui X cave. The S.O.G are on the move; looks like whatever Garmadon and Harumi's plan is, it's being set in motion."

Keyda looked up at the flying contraption in awe. It was like a dragon…made of metal. How could something metal fly? Wouldn't it be too heavy?

"Right…we'll have to split up on our way back. Half go with Ronin, the rest on the Ultra-Dragon. Wu said. Lloyd sighed.

"It's gonna be hard to get everyone back to the Samurai X cave without attracting S.O.G. attention…especially now that they are on the move."

Wu put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get there, Lloyd. Don't worry. How should we split up?"

Lloyd would have rather left the decisions in Wu's capable hands, but everyone was looking at him expectantly. He thought for a moment.

"I'll go with Ronin in REX, but you should take Zane and Pix because they would be able to help scan for nearby S.O.G members…"

"Nya and I can go with you, Lloyd…" Jay chimed in. "And Cole probably should too because he's been having trouble staying on dragons lately…"

"I'm _fine."_ Cole insisted. But he had to admit that sitting in an actual chair did sound preferable to clinging to the back of a dragon.

Keyda felt at a loss. She wasn't sure she really trusted that flying metal…whatever it was. The thought of getting on it felt like signing her own death warrant. But going by dragon would mean leaving the Idiot to his own devices.

 _He's fine. He's got all these lovely friends to look out for him. What does he need me for?_

Wu somehow picked up on her feelings.

"Keyda…it will probably be a little crowded on Ronin's airship. We could use you on the Ultra-Dragon…especially if we run into trouble."

He was throwing her a rope and she resented that. But she also couldn't bring herself to board that death trap. Wu noticed her hesitation.

"We're all headed to the same location…" he prompted and she sighed.

"Fine. Dragon it is."

"I think I'll go with Lloyd and them, if that's alright, Wu…" Kai said. "I think we all have a lot of catching up to do."

Ronin had landed his ship and come over.

"That's…what? 4 of you with me, then?"

"Five," Skylor corrected, adding herself to the list. Ronin shrugged.

"Just try and keep the noise level down, ok? Need I remind you we were in the middle of a _covert_ operation…"

Within the next few minutes, both REX and the Ultra-Dragon took to the skies.

 _ **80**_

As she sat behind Wu, Keyda couldn't help but marvel at the world around her. It was night in this realm, but in the dim light of some heavenly body she could make out the landscapes they passed over. She couldn't even comprehend the amount of different kinds of plants and different looking terrains. The realm she had come from had all looked so similar. Though she had never explored all of it, could it be possible that some of it could be as diverse as all of this?

Zane was further back on the dragon, talking to the metal girl. She couldn't really remember her name. It seemed that they had a lot of things to catch up on. She glanced back and noticed that they were holding hands.

"So...after making the plan, we're going to war, right?" she asked, addressing the man in front of her. Wu didn't turn around.

"In a way…yes."

"It's going to get dangerous."

Here he turned.

"Yes. More than likely."

She nodded absently, something digging at her.

"He can't fight."

Wu studied her for a minute. It only took him a moment to figure out who she was talking about.

"He's not going to let us leave him behind..."

"Then make him. He listens to you. Something about respect, or something. But you can't let him fight. He's been trying to hide how bad his condition is but you and I both know he won't last more than a few minutes in an actual battle. If he goes out there, he will die."

Wu couldn't really argue with that. He sighed.

"Of course I don't want him in the battle any more than you do given his condition…but there's no way that we can force him to stay behind…in the end it will be his choice more than anything."

" _His choice?"_ Keyda spat. "Do you want to know where his choices have landed him so far? In a dungeon _…_ where the Baron _tortured him_. Then he was thrown in an arena, where his best friends beat him within an inch of his life…" She felt Wu stiffen in front of her. She realized that this oh-so-knowledgeable leader had never even been aware of what had gone down in the Baron's fortress. She continued her rant.

" _His choice_ led him to find me in the midst of a huge battle and nearly got his head chopped off…and it led him to nearly getting his soul lost to some…some _limbo void_ forever. The fact is I can't trust him to make the right decision because he's an _Idiot_ and whatever the psychotic reason, he can't help but throw himself in harm's way the second he feels like it could benefit someone else. He believes he's stronger than he actually is…and by now he's out of lucky rescues _. This can't be left to his choice_."

Wu was silent, as if processing what she had said. A few minutes went by before she spoke again.

"I know you need me to help defeat your brother, but that isn't why I'm here. The reason I'm here is to make sure that you come back to my realm, as promised…and to make sure that the Idiot doesn't get himself killed. So either he sits out this battle, or I do. _YOUR_ choice."

Wu nodded, understanding her insinuation.

"I'll talk to him."

 _Ninja_

Ronin sighed in annoyance; it seemed the crew in Rex's hull had no intention of keeping quiet after all. From what he could hear there was lots of laughing, crying…who knows what else. Deep down, however, he couldn't help but feel glad that those ninja had pulled through after all.

"You have no idea how many times I've had this dream…that I had you all back. It feels like any minute, I'm just going to wake up and lose you all over again!" Nya wasn't crying as much anymore, but her voice still cracked. She was sat firmly between Jay and Kai, and she and the blue ninja's arms were intertwined.

"Well, it's good to be back, for sure! Can't say I'll miss the Oni realm that much…" Kai said, patting his sister on the back.

"To think that while we were here, mourning your loss, you were all in the realm where it all began…" Lloyd mused. He looked around the ship at all his friends, laughing and back-slapping like old times. He looked away so they wouldn't see the tears falling.

"Yeah, and it was _no picnic_ either. All we had to eat was this weird stuff on sticks that Zane was always making…still don't even know what that was. And we had to run all over the place trying to find these pieces to the Dragon Master's saddle but we had to face our elemental dragons and our worst fears…or maybe it was greatest weaknesses, I forgot how Zane explained it … and the leader of the Oni was this crazy manipulative Baron, but the Dragon Leader was hardly any better and…"

"I don't think we have time for the whole story, Jay," Cole interrupted. "We made it back, that's what matters. Now we have to defeat Garmadon…I assume you haven't done that yet, Lloyd?"

The Green Ninja hastily wiped his eyes.

"Uh…no. We did go and face Harumi at Borg's tower; they commandeered it for their base. We managed to steal the Oni masks and traveled to Haroshi's labyrinth to destroy them, but we haven't managed to actually defeat Harumi or Garmadon," He frowned. Here his friends had managed to escape death, survive a strange realm, and make it back home after defeating the villians Jay had mentioned. All he'd managed to do was get locked in another cage and break some masks.

"That's why _we're_ here, kid," Kai said with a smirk. "Together, we'll defeat them. Don't worry too much."

"Kai's right…if we had never gone to the Oni realm we would have never gotten the Dragon Master. Wu's new identity is really gonna help us out." Cole agreed. REX hit some turbulence, jolting those inside. Cole winced as his position was jarred.

"I really can't help but notice that you're in pretty bad shape…" Lloyd pointed out. "What happened?"

"I hope you weren't beating up on him again, Jay," Nya laughed. The ninja all blanched and she blinked, confused. "What?"

"Doesn't really matter…the point is, I'm fine and we've got a few more villains to defeat," Cole changed the subject.

"Speaking of villains, did you say that the girl you brought along was an _Oni?"_ Skylor asked.

"She's not a _villain,_ " Cole snapped defensively. "She's a friend. It actually took a lot to convince her to come, but she's here to help us stop Garmadon."

"And…then what?" Nya asked. "She just goes back home? How do you know that she won't just side with Garmadon; he'spart Oni." She turned to Kai. "I can't believe you're just ok with trusting this chick…"

"Look, whatever we have to worry about in the coming days, Keyda isn't one of them." Cole sounded angry and Nya frowned as he continued. "She's one of the main reasons we even made it out of the Oni realm."

"All I'm just saying is that the last time we trusted some girl we didn't know, it didn't really work out well. How do you know she isn't just using you?"

Cole flushed angrily and Jay started laughing awkwardly, cutting in.

"Honestly Nya, Cole's right. Keyda's helped a lot…if she hasn't killed us already I'm pretty sure she's not going to at this point…"

His girlfriend turned to him, incredulous. "That's supposed to make me feel better?!"

"If you guys say we can trust her, I will." Lloyd cut in. "Let's focus on making a plan for when we get to the Samauri X cave."

"Who all is waiting for us there, anyways?" Kai asked.

"My mom, Dareth, the Walkers, Cole's Dad…" Lloyd listed off. Jay and Cole were surprised to hear about their parents.

"Wait, Mom and Dad are there? Why?"

"I would have thought my Dad would be off performing somewhere…"

"They've all been in hiding since you guys di…left. For their own protection, in case Harumi tried to use them for information or leverage," Lloyd explained. A thought struck him. "You guys…they don't even know you're alive yet!"

"Should we call ahead?" Skylor asked. "Let them know who we found?"

Lloyd thought about it, but then smiled.

"Actually…I'd love to see the looks on their faces when you all go in. Let's make it a surprise."

"Our parents are ok, right? Nothing…happened to them?" Jay asked. It had never occurred to him that Harumi would target his parents.

"Everyone's fine," Lloyd assured.

"Granted that Harumi didn't find them all while we were gone," Ronin called out from the pilot seat.

"Thanks for that, Ronin…" Nya said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who left Dareth in charge. One can only guess at the damage he's inflicted while we've been gone."

Kai looked at Nya in surprise. "You left Dareth in charge?"

"It was the only way to convince him _not_ to come!" she said defensively.

The ninja laughed.

"Sounds like Dareth is the same as always, then…" Kai said. "Man, I just realized how much I missed him. How much I missed _everyone…_ "

"Imagine how we've all been feeling!" Nya exclaimed. "At least you knew that we were alive!"

"Technically we didn't know that," Cole pointed out. Jay tutted.

" _I_ did. I knew you'd all be ok. Fate, after all." he said.

Nya laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. They had yet to win the war…but things definitely seemed a lot less hopeless than they had a few hours ago.

25


	18. Part 17

Nicki's Story

 _ **81**_

The Ultra-Dragon landed silently. Keyda looked around, realizing that this area actually did look like home; sand, rocks, scraggly plants. The familiarity of the terrain made her feel a bit more comfortable in this strange realm. She turned and watched Zane help the other metal person off the dragon. She had a flashback to when she had first talked to the Zane. This must be her—the person he had been missing so much. She remembered the others who had come running out of the fog; they were the reason that the outsiders had been so desperate to get back here. She wondered briefly if anyone would even miss her if she never went home. _Truly_ miss her, as the outsiders' friends had.

"Ronin should be here soon." Wu's words broke into her thoughts and she realized that he had already dismounted as well. He held up a hand to help her down and she sighed as she took it.

"Then will you speak with Cole?" she asked.

"I promise I will…but once they get here all the ninja will probably be more interested in greeting their friends and family in our safehouse."

More friends? She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to find herself looking into dazzling green eyes.

"I never did introduce myself…I am P.I.X.A.L. Zane has told me about the help you offered while they were in the first realm. I would like to thank you,"

Keyda blinked. "What?"

"For your help in bringing them home." P.I.X.A.L reiterated, linking her arm in Zane's. "Zane told me that without your help it never would have been possible. It also must not have been easy..."

"I…didn't really have much to do with it…"

"That is not true." Zane cut in. "You sacrificed a lot in order to help us get home. We have you to thank more than anybody."

Keyda really didn't know how to respond, so she just shrugged. They heard rumbling above them and she recognized it to be the sound of the man named Ronin's metal flying beast. She waited for it to land, but instead it seemed to be headed towards the enormous skeleton in the distance, half buried in the sand.

"That is where the entrance to the Samauri X cave is," Wu explained, sensing her confusion. "The Ultra-Dragon would not fit in the entrance...I'm going to leave him out here to guard against S.O.G spies. The rest of us can head in." he began leading the way, but then paused and turned with a twinkle in his eye.

"I suppose it is just fair to warn you that some of our friends are a little…eccentric. Go easy on them, please…"

Keyda raised an eyebrow, but he had already started walking towards the skeleton. Keyda started following but stopped short when the skull of the skeleton suddenly seemed to swallow the metal beast whole. She turned to look at Zane in alarm but he gave her a comforting look.

"Do not worry, I know it looks strange, but that is the entrance to the hideout." And with that, the small group followed Ronin's ship into the belly of the beast.

 _Survivors_

"Hold it, I don't remember giving this vessel permission to land…" Dareth drawled as REX entered the Samurai X cave.

"Honestly Dareth…" even Misako was at her wits end with the self-proclaimed brown ninja. As expected, he had been bossing everyone around since Lloyd and the others had left. Even well-mannered Ed had taken to hiding in the bowels of the cave, claiming to fix this or that.

"They made it! Oh…I sure hope they were able to get rid of those masks…" Edna called from the chair she was knitting in.

"This way…this way…" Dareth was now waving his arms to signal where REX should land. Misako smiled as she watched Ronin land in the exact opposite place that Dareth was signaling, undoubtedly out of spite. Edna looked up from her knitting and even Lou stood to greet the teenagers.

What happened next, however, none of them could have ever expected.

REX's side door opened, and a colorful wave seemed to spill out. The adults each froze, welcoming smiles frozen on their faces as they struggled to process what was happening.

"MOM!"

Edna dropped her knitting as she stood. Jay reached her and wrapped her in a bear hug, and it seemed to snap her back to reality.

"Its….you're… ED! ED COME QUICK! IT'S OUR SON!"

" _What's that now, Edna?"_ Ed's voice echoed from down one of the passageways. He appeared a few moments later, wiping his hands on a rag. "It almost sounded like you said…" he froze, mouth still open.

"DAD!" Jay wrapped his father in a hug, and Mr. Walker blinked.

"Oh…gee…gosh…it's…" his voice choked up as he embraced his son. Edna joined them in a large hug; none of the Walkers had a dry eye.

As Jay had run out to his mother, Lloyd came over to stand by Misako, who was taking everything in with a surge of joy and surprise.

"They're alive." she said simply. She couldn't think of anything else to say as she looked over at her son. He looked better than he had in weeks; it was like some invisible burden had been lifted. Seeing the light back in her son's eyes was enough to make her own misty.

"I still can't believe it either," Lloyd cleared the emotion out of his throat. "Wu is back as well, but he came by dragon…"

"Wu?! Really?" Misako immediately began looking for him.

Dareth meanwhile was trying to give Kai a hug, but it was made difficult because he was trying to hide the fact that he was sobbing.

"I…can't…believe….it…." he gasped, hastily wiping his sleeve across his eyes over and over again.

Lou had remained frozen where he was standing, leaning on his cane with both hands. He stared at the ship as the rest of the ninja exited. A few minutes passed before a figure in black finally made his way out of the ship, his movements slow and deliberate. Cole caught sight of his father and gave him a little side smile. Lou was at a loss for words but his eyes misted over as his mustache twitched.

Cole approached his father, insides twisting. All around him people were shouting and hugging, but his own father just stared. He didn't even look _happy…_

"Hiya, Pop…" Cole started uncertainly. Lou moved suddenly and wrapped his son in a hug. Cole sighed in relief and hugged him back. They stood like that for a few minutes, neither willing to speak and have their voice betray them.

"Wu!" Misako was the first to spot the Golden Samurai as his group entered the cave. The Dragon Master waved and Lloyd's mother rushed over to give him a hug.

"You're alright!" she said, her voice betraying joy and relief. He gave her a smile…but something in his expression seemed guarded. She was about to ask him what was wrong when she caught sight of someone standing behind him with an angry expression.

"Oh…" Misako said, uncertain. "Who's this?"

Wu turned to look at the pale angry girl.

"This is Keyda. There's a lot to fill you in on…but the whole time we've been missing we've been in the first realm. Keyda is from that realm, she's an…"

"Oni." Misako finished. "Yes, of course."

"She's here to help in the fight against Garmadon."

"That is not my main purpose for being here." the Oni spoke, sounding irritated as she gave Wu and annoyed look. Wu gave the Oni an expression that seemed to be asking her not to say anything more. Misako frowned; what was he hiding from her?

"Sensei…P.I.X.A.L and I are picking up more S.O.G movement..." Zane cut in and Wu turned to the nindroid gratefully.

"Are they headed this way?"

"No…they seem to be dispatching large groups into Ninjago city. From what I can tell, they have basically shut the whole of the city down. Smaller groups seem to be searching in this relative area, but so far we have no reason to suspect that they know our location. It's more like they are searching for it…"

"We need to work fast. We do not know when they may stumble upon us…or if my brother will be capable of tracking me down again." Wu turned to the happy crowd and paused. It seemed a shame to break the reunion up so soon…but time was against them.

"Lloyd!" he called out. The Green ninja looked up from where he was talking with Kai and Dareth. Wu motioned him over.

"Yes, Uncle?"

"We need to figure out our next move…whatever Garamadon's plan, he has already set it in motion. We must act quickly if we want to be able to act at all."

 _ **82**_

P.I.X.A.L pulled up a map on one of the large monitors. Red dots were scattered around the map, though most of them were forming a large conglomeration in Ninjago City.

"From the scanning Zane and I have been doing, these dots signify where the S.O.G. are currently stationed. Based on their overwhelming numbers being moved to Ninjago City, we are pretty certain that whatever Garmadon's plan, the City is where it's going to occur."

"Do you think they know the ninja are back?" Skylor asked. Everyone was gathered around, trying to figure out each of their next steps would be in this war.

"My brother will know I'm in this realm…I'm not sure if he will be aware of the ninja's presence as well."

"So…explain to me again why this chick is gonna help?" Dareth asked, pointing a thumb at where Keyda was standing across the room. She was listening to the conversation and didn't look exceptionally pleased at being called "this chick."

"With my Dragon aura and Keyda's Oni aura, we should be able to pull my _real_ brother out of limbo…returning him to his normal state…"

"But how do you even know that Good Garmadon is in this limbo place?" Ronin asked, arms folded. "And how did you figure out how to get somebody _out_ of limbo? It kinda feels like there's a lot to this story you guys aren't telling us."

Wu sighed. "That is true…there is a lot we don't have time to tell right now. But I assure you, we do know that my brother is in limbo and that this method will be able to pull him free."

"The tricky part is how you guys are gonna get close…I mean, I don't think Garmadon is gonna sit nicely and let you free his good side." Jay pointed out.

"Plus all those S.O.G are going to make it hard to as well..." Kai said. "That's probably going to be our job, huh? Clearing a path?"

"Indeed." Wu said simply.

Zane cleared his throat and everyone looked over at him.

"If I may…P.I.X.A.L and I have a different plan that we would like to be allowed to pursue…"

"What is it, Zane?" Lloyd asked.

"We'd like to go and infiltrate Borg tower. The information that could be found there would be very helpful. And…we would like to rescue Cyrus Borg, if he is still…well…" Zane trailed off and the rest of the group got the gist of what he meant.

"It will be hard for you both to get there without help, Zane…" Lloyd pointed out.

"Well…we've got a good group here, don't we?" Ed pointed out. "There's more than enough of us to go around…we can all pitch in." he turned to Jay and put a hand on his shoulder. "If you all need a path cleared, than I've got just the tour bus to do it. What do ya say, son?"

"Uhhhh…tour bus? What tour bus?" Jay asked, trying to keep up.

"Dibs on one of the guns!" Dareth piped up.

"Ok…you guys can take the east entrance to the city and try to clear the S.O.G you find there and help Zane and Pix get to Borg Tower." Lloyd said to the Walkers. "We need someone to handle the thugs on the West side…"

"Sounds like a job that needs a little _fire_ power…" Kai said with a smirk. "Get me a vehicle, and I can do some damage…"

"There should be one or two lying around." Ronin commented. "We fixed up a bunch of stuff for this war."

"I'll go with you, Kai," Skylor said with a smile.

"Cuz we make such a good team?" he asked. She slugged him in response.

"Because someone needs to make sure you don't get in over your head."

"Ok…Ronin, I think that if you went down the middle from the air that would complete our coverage." Lloyd said, turning to the thief.

"Sure…I had nothing else planned for the day. Why not schedule in a suicide mission?"

Lloyd ignored him. "The important thing is that no one takes any unnecessary risks… at this point I doubt Garmadon and Harumi are going to try and capture you. They'll more than likely just try to get rid of everyone they can…"

"I'll go with you and Wu." Misako said, stepping in. Lloyd sighed, smiling sadly.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mom. I think the smaller the group the better chance we will have getting to Garmadon. Plus you don't have any way of protecting yourself against his power…"

"I do know how to defend myself," Misako pointed out.

"And at this point, you don't really have much of a power leg to stand on either Lloyd," Ronin added. The ninja looked over at him, confused.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with Lloyd's powers?" Kai asked. The room went silent for a moment before Lloyd answered him.

"Well…um…ever since my battle with my father, I haven't been able to summon any powers…"

"What?!" Jay yelled. "The green ninja doesn't have powers? But we do…how is that even possible?"

"I don't know." Lloyd said a little sharply.

"Maybe they'll come back…?" Cole added

"It doesn't matter. The point is, Wu, Keyda and I will head to Garmadon…"

"How will you know where to find him?" Dareth asked. Wu smiled grimly.

"He's not the only one who can track a brother. Not to mention, he will no doubt be looking for _us_ as well."

"I can help Ronin take the central road." Cole offered. The ninja all made worried eye contact.

"Um…I'm not sure…" Jay started as Kai said "Maybe instead…"

Cole frowned. "Look, this is the final battle...this is where we either defeat Garmadon or we lose everything. I'm not about to _stay behind…_ "

"Why would you need to?" Nya asked, confused.

"Shut up, Idiot." Keyda had been listening to the conversation from across the room, where she was leaning up against a wall. She hadn't understood much of anything being said for the past half hour, but this she could understand. Nya turned, mouth open, thinking Keyda had been talking to her. The Oni glared at Cole.

"You wouldn't last five minutes out there. Do everyone a favor and stay put."

"Not. Your. Decision." Cole said softly. Everyone seemed to grow uncomfortable at the growing tension.

"I could use the help…" Ronin started, but surprisingly it was Wu who cut him off.

"Cole…join me outside for a moment, would you?" Cole looked at Wu suspiciously, not sure if his sensei was on his side or not. He stood, ignoring the curious glances from everyone else. He followed the Dragon Master outside into the cool desert night. Once the entrance had closed behind them, Wu turned to him and sighed softly.

"I'm sorry…but you will be staying here, Cole, with your father."

Cole flushed. "While all my friends go risk their lives out there? No chance; I'm going."

"Keyda is right…you are not in any shape to be fighting..."

"Keyda?" Cole's eyebrows furrowed. "Did she put you up to this? I'm fine, Wu…I was a little tired from the whole Limbo thing, but I'm fine now…"

"And what of your injuries sustained at the fortress?" Wu asked flatly. Cole glanced down.

"...You know about that, huh?"

"Not everything…but enough to know that you are dealing with more than just fatigue right now."

Cole bit his lip and tried again.

"Wu, _please._ I've spent the last few days being utterly useless…heck!" he threw his arms up. "I've spent the last _week_ being useless. I _can't_ just sit by and…"

"Do you think you could defeat me?"

Cole blinked. "Wha..what?"

Wu looked at him calmly. "If we were to fight right now, do you think you could win?"

Cole sighed in irritation. "Wu…I'm not going to fight you…"

"And I'm not going to fight you. But I want you to answer my question anyways."

Cole didn't look at him, choosing instead to glare angrily at the ground. He shrugged.

"I don't know. I could…"

"No. No, you couldn't. And you wouldn't be able to win against any thugs who would attack you. I'm telling you to stay in the cave, Cole; that doesn't mean that you have to be useless. We'll need someone here watching the monitors."

"That's _hardly_ …"

"If you really want to help, then that is what you will do." Wu had taken on a tone of finality. "The truth is that you coming could compromise the whole mission. Not only would you undoubtably get hurt, but your friends would spend so much time and energy worrying and trying to protect you that they wouldn't be able to accomplish their own tasks. Please don't fight me on this one. Besides…it would be a good time to catch up with your father."

Cole clenched his jaw, refusing to look at the Golden Samurai.

"I can't…"

" _Cole._ That's enough. You ARE staying, so I suggest you make peace with it." Wu turned and went back inside, ending the conversation.

It wasn't fair. Cole wished he could just stow away anyways…Ronin would probably let him if he offered the right incentive. But he also knew deep down that Wu was right. He groaned in anger and powered up his earth punch, looking for something to hit to get his frustration out. He felt justified as he watched the glow move up his arms; he wasn't as weak as they all thought. However, as he went to hit a nearby boulder his muscles pulled painfully over his shoulder blades and a spike of pain shot down his spine. His earth punch failed and black dots darted across his vision. He landed on his knees, one of his hands on the ground to steady himself and the other dry washing his face.

"Maybe yell louder. I'm sure Garmadon's thugs would love to know where you're all hiding."

He didn't even turn around as he sank into a sitting position.

"Did you put Wu up to this? Did you tell him about what happened in the Baron's fortress?"

Keyda materialized in the moonlight, a few feet away. He glanced over reproachfully as she shrugged.

"You never listen to me. But you seem to listen to him… must be because he's a _good_ leader…or however you put it."

He didn't say anything and she took a seat next to him. They just sat there a few minutes, with him silently fuming and her seemingly lost in her own thoughts as they looked across the desert landscape.

"What would fighting prove anyways?" she finally asked softly.

"I don't want to fight to _prove_ anything." he muttered. "My friends are putting their lives on the line…and I'm just going to cower in some cave, safe and sound…"

"Were you planning on cowering? That'd be a new look for you."

"Would you just _stop?_ " he asked angrily.

"What?"

"Whatever it is you're doing right now! I honestly don't know if you're trying to make me feel better or worse. Why does it matter so much if I go out there, huh? Is it just easier to _forget me_ if I'm holed up in some cave? Or do you just enjoy reminding me of how useless and pathetic I am?"

She swallowed. "You're being an Idiot."

He laughed without humor. "Oh yeah, I forgot…a pathetic _Idiot._ That's all you've ever seen me as."

"Why don't you _stop_ being an Idiot and listen for a minute, ok?" She sounded angry but Cole didn't really care. He was still refusing to look at her, so she grabbed his face and forced it towards her own.

"If you go out there, you'll die. And you _can't_ die. Because…" here she faltered as he looked at her with a confused expression. She swallowed again.

"Because you are the only thing I care about…the only thing I've _ever_ cared about. So if you go off and do something stupid and get yourself killed I'll _never forgive you."_ Her voice was rising and she suddenly moved. Cole was already feeling a little blindsided, so he tensed in preparation for the punch or whatever other attack was surely coming.

She hugged him. He was only the second person she had ever hugged and she couldn't help but worry that she was doing it wrong. He seemed frozen in place and she sighed.

"Just…please…for once, don't be an imbecile." She whispered. Face burning, she hurried to let go and walked quickly back to the safehouse.

 _ **83**_

Jay watched Cole and Wu walk out and stole a glance over at Zane and Kai. He hoped that Wu was planning on talking Cole out of going…to be honest, he hoped that Wu _could_ talk him out of it. If he knew his best friend…and he _did…_ the stubborn dirt-clod was going to refuse to be left behind.

There was a lot of tension in the situation as everyone looked at him, Zane, and Kai for an explanation.

"What exactly is going on?" Nya asked, the first to break the awkward silence. She was looking at Jay…of _course_ she was looking at him. He bit his lip and tried to think of how to put it without disclosing too much. There were some things he'd rather wait to explain.

It was Zane who answered. "Given Cole's current condition…it would logically be best for him to stay here in the cave rather than…"

"Current condition? What's wrong with my son?" Lou demanded.

"Nothing serious…" Kai cut in.

"If it wasn't serious, Wu wouldn't be out there talking him out of coming," Skylor pointed out.

"It doesn't matter!" Jay finally cut in. "Stuff happened in the first realm…Cole got hurt...he can't fight. Consider yourselves caught up." He pushed himself up from the table, ignoring everyone's curious looks.

Lloyd sighed. "Why don't we all take five while we wait for them to come back. Probably be best for us all to be on the same page."

"I'll go make sure our tour bus is in tip-top shape." Ed said. He turned to Jay, "Wanna come, boyo?"

"Maybe in a minute, Dad." Jay answered, distracted. As everyone else wandered off to their various vehicles to make sure they were good to go, Jay wandered over to the entrance to the cave.

"Jay…" Nya's face was concerned and the blue ninja sighed.

"I just wanted to make sure Wu is winning the argument that I _know_ is happening outside…" he explained. She raised an eyebrow.

"Have you ever known Wu to _lose_ an argument?"

Jay had to chuckle at this, remembering Kai's comment about Keyda and Wu in a debate match. It suddenly occurred to him that the Oni was nowhere to be found.

"What's wrong? What are you looking for?"

"Did you see Keyda leave, or….?"

Nya's expression hardened as she too scanned the room, but there was still no sign of Keyda. She sighed.

"I thought you said we could trust her!"

"We can!" Jay said defensively. Nya shot him a look. He bit his lip.

"I mean, I'm _mostly sure_ we can."

"Then where'd she go? How do you know she's not running off right now to give away our location?!"

Jay just shook his head. He honestly still didn't know Keyda that well…but after the time he had spent around her the last few weeks, he doubted that she would rat them out now.

"Maybe she went to talk to Cole…" he suggested, heading for the entrance again.

"Why would she?" Nya asked hotly.

Jay shrugged as they went to leave the cave. Just then the entrance opened and Wu passed by, expression hard.

"So, how'd it go?" the blue ninja prompted. Wu glanced over at the couple hovering by the entrance.

"He's staying…whether he wants to or not. We've got more pressing things to deal with Cole's bad mood, however. Lloyd! Let's get on with the plan…"

Jay sighed in relief and went to go back to the table, but Nya grabbed his arm.

"We still haven't found Keyda! We need to find out if she's a traitor _now_ so we have time to warn the others and plan accordingly."

Jay frowned but allowed himself to be lead out of the open entrance. They could hear what sounded like hushed arguing as they came out into the desert.

"There she is…" Nya pointed out the two figures sitting side by side a ways off. "I guess you were right, then. What on earth do you think they're talking about?"

Jay shrugged. "He's probably being defensive….she's more than likely calling him names…" he trailed off as he watched Keyda throw her arms around his best friend. He blinked in surprise.

"Ok…that's actually a new one…"

Nya had an unreadable expression on. Suddenly they realized that Keyda had stood up and was no doubt on her way back. They quickly scampered back inside the Samarui X cave, neither really wanted to be caught spying. They headed over to the table where half of the crew was embroiled in more technical talk about how the next 24 hours or so would play out while the rest were tweaking things on various vehicles. Nya leaned over as they walked.

"Be straight with me, Jay…you probably know Cole better than anyone else…"

"Well… _yeah,"_ he said, almost defensively. "I'm his _best friend…."_

"So you would know," Nya continued, looking at him. "Does he like this Keyda girl? Like… _really_ like her?"

Jay paused. Answering that question would mean thinking about it…and he and Kai had already decided _not_ to think about it. He finally exhaled.

"Yeah. I think…he really does."

Nya nodded absently. Jay groaned a little.

"I know that look… please don't escalate the situation…"

"Escalate? I'm not going to _escalate_ anything, Jay. Wait, what look?" she glared at him.

"The expression you get when you're about to chew someone out…"

"Jay Walker, you have no idea what you're talking about. And weren't you supposed to be helping your Dad with the tour bus?" she said, changing the subject. Jay held his hands up in defeat, not even bothering to point out that she was technically chewing _him_ out right then.

"Alright, fine. But just a warning, everyone I've seen go toe-to-toe with Keyda _lost…_ "

She gave him another look and he sighed and headed over to the purple bus while Nya turned to wait for the arrival of a certain Oni.

 _ **84**_

Keyda's face was still flushed when she came into the cave. She was headed back to her spot on the outer wall when someone stepped into her path.

"So…Keyda, was it?"

The Oni rolled her eyes. She knew an ambush when she heard one. She tried to step around the dark-haired girl, but she just blocked her path again.

"I was wondering if I could have a few minutes in private…"

"No." Keyda took a few more steps, but the girl seemed bent on irritating her. She huffed. "Get out of my _way."_

"Ok, lemme rephrase. I need to talk to you, _now_. Or are you afraid I'll find out you're hiding something?"

Keyda moved to go around her, and this time the girl let her by. However, she followed her over to the wall. Keyda groaned internally and turned to go down one of the tunnels. Sure enough, the girl continued following her. Once they were alone she turned on her, hands on her hips.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked icily. The girl folded her arms. Her expression was determined, but there seemed to be an underlying uncertainty in it as well.

"What are you doing here, _really?_ "

"Excuse me?"

"You really expect me to believe that an _Oni_ volunteered to come into our realm and help get rid of Garmadon?"

"I don't really care _what_ you believe." Keyda arched her eyebrows. "But for the record, I didn't volunteer. I was asked to come along, and you can either _deal with it_ or take it out with Golden Boy."

"Golden-Boy?" The girl blinked. "You mean Wu? You're saying that Wu asked you to come along? Well if that's true, it still doesn't explain why you _agreed…_ "

" _If_ it's true?" Keyda scoffed. "What's the point of interrogating me if you aren't even going to believe what I tell you? And I only agreed to come because I need to make sure that 'Wu' keeps his promise."

"What promise?"

"Why don't you ask him about it?" Keyda was done getting questioned and judged by people who had no idea what they were talking about. She squinted at the girl. Yep, she was definitely picking up some sibling similarities between her and hot-headed brother.

The girl looked just about as frustrated as Keyda felt. Keyda's hard expression hadn't changed as she glared her down, arms folded. The girl finally sighed, hands up.

"Ok…let's just take a step back. I don't think I ever introduced myself. I'm Nya…I'm Kai's sister. I've known the ninja for years and for the last week, I thought they were dead. So forgive me if I'm being a _little_ overprotective…"

"Do you feel like they need protection from me?"

"That's the thing…I don't know who you are or what your motives are…but a 'being of ultimate destruction' just showing up and saying you're here to help…it's a little suspicious, alright?!"

Keyda scoffed again and turned to go. "Like I said, either take it up with Wu or learn to live with it." She could practically _feel_ the dark-haired girl fuming behind her.

"Are you using him?!"

Keyda stopped dead, back still turned.

"What?" her voice was dangerously low and she heard the girl swallow. Her tone, however, was still defiant.

"We trusted a girl, not long ago, who showed a lot of interest in Lloyd. But she turned out to be evil and she used him…she played with his emotions and she hurt him, in more ways than one. So if I find out that you're here for any other reason than to help, and that you're using Cole in the process, I'll…"

Keyda whirled around, her eyes flashing purple.

" _Using him?!_ It's all your colorful little friends who have been _using me!_ You're just like your brother, you know? Everything's black and white with you. I'm a Oni, and a stranger, so I'm the enemy, while your oh-so-perfect friends are blameless, huh?"

The girl took a few steps back as Keyda's fists started glowing as well.

"Need I remind you that those friends are just in the other room…so if you try anything…"

"Are you scared, _Nya?_ Need someone to defend you from me? If that was the case why did you insist we meet alone? Thought you could handle me?"

Nya glowered. "Oh, I can handle you alright…but I'd love for the others to see who you really are…"

"And you of all people know who that is?! You've known me less than a few hours and you _already have me all figured out_? Then it sure is strange that there's a lot you don't know about your _friends_ who you've known for _years…."_

"What are you even talking about?!"

"If it wasn't for me, Cole would be _dead…_ several times over. He's got scars that are never gonna heal, but I didn't give him any of them. Your _friends_ on the other hand…."

"LIAR!" Nya shot a blast of water, but Keyda just leaned out of the way.

"Haven't you noticed how they all skirt around the topic when you ask? Why do you think none of them want to talk about what happened to him!?" She dodged a few more water blasts and then shot a large purple orb at the infuriating girl. Nya flew backwards, hitting the wall.

"You want to know why I'm really here?! I'm here because I need to make sure he doesn't get killed because his so-called family has been doing a really _lousy_ job of it up to this point. And I couldn't care less if you like me or if you believe me… one thing I'm _not_ here to do is make friends. So why don't you just stay out of my way and stop trying to pass judgement on things that you could never understand!"

Nya had gotten up, breathing hard and ready for more of a fight, but Keyda was already nearly out of the tunnel. She turned back once more and Nya could see her purple eyes glowing in the dim lighting.

"Some of those scars he got protecting me...and I'll never forget it. So don't you _ever_ suggest that I'm using him again."

 _Ninja_

"Ok…so we're all on the same page now. What time are we leaving?" Lloyd turned to Wu, who seemed to be zoning out. Or maybe he was meditating…it was hard to tell. The Dragon Master was silent for a few moments and then opened his eyes to see that everyone was waiting for him to speak.

"My Brother is in Ninjago City…no doubt he has started tracking my location. If I stay here any longer I'm afraid I'll lead him here and we will lose our ability to go on the offensive."

"Alright. You all have your assignments. Any questions before we head out?" Lloyd asked, looking around the circle.

"Wait! Nya hasn't gotten an assignment yet…" Jay pointed out. He looked around and realized that his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen.

"Speaking of which, where is my sister?" Kai was looking around as well.

"Ahhhh mannnn…." Jay had a sneaking suspicion. As if on cue, Keyda came storming out of a tunnel, eyes flaming as she marched past the group. Everyone watched silently.

"Ah….just what we need. Another headstrong woman." Ronin commented dryly. Moments later Nya came out of the same tunnel, looking furious.

"Hey, Sis! We are heading out soon….who are you traveling with?" Kai yelled. She looked over at her brother, then back at where Keyda was fuming up against her wall. She marched over to the table and slammed her hands down.

"Ok… _I need some answers_. How can we trust someone like _that,"_ she gestured to Keyda. "When she says things like that _you guys_ are the ones who hurt Cole…" she paused, hating the expressions on her friend's faces. Why did they have to look so _guilty?!_ "So you guys need to fill me in right now"

"We don't have time!" Kai cut in angrily. "Wu just said Garmadon's on our trail…if we are going to have any kind of element of surprise we need to strike now before the S.O.G have time to get fully organized. So who are you travelling with?!"

"Why are you avoiding the question?!" She asked, pointing an accusatory finger at Kai. "You realize that you're just giving her more of a leg to stand on, right?"

"Nya….look, we told you that we would tell you all the full story later…and we _will._ But right now we have to get to Ninjago City. Do you want to ride with me?" Jay interjected.

Nya huffed. "You know what? If you guys aren't even going to answer the simplest questions, then I'm not traveling with any of you."

"Hey, I'm going to need some help…at the moment they have me going solo since Cole got put under house arrest…" Ronin cut in.

"It's not house arrest. We need someone to watch the monitors." Wu cut in defensively.

"Uh huh. Anyways, what do you say, Nya?" The thief continued, not missing a beat.

"You know what? Sure. Might as well." Nya said, still miffed at her friends, who she noticed were avoiding eye contact.

"Alright….maybe now we should actually _go…"_ Skylor said, having watched the entire exchange with the same confused concern as the rest of the group.

"Skylor is right…the longer we wait here, the more advantage we give Garmadon…" Zane noted.

"And the longer Cyrus Borg goes without help." P.I.X.A.L added.

Wu nodded. "It's time."

 _ **85**_

 _What….was that?_

Everyone would be leaving soon…but Cole was still frozen in place, gazing out to the horizon where the sky was slowly getting lighter. The scene played over and over in his mind…did she say that she cared about him? In what way? What was the hug about? He didn't even know she knew _how_ to hug. He was prepared for her insults and attacks; she didn't like him…she wanted to _forget_ him. But then she had gone and blindsided him. Was she just saying what he wanted to hear so he'd stay behind? _Was_ what she said what he wanted to hear?

He dry washed his face again; he was exhausted. He wanted to go inside and insist on going with everyone anyways…but the fight had left him. The Baron, his friends, Keyda, Wu…he'd been fighting with everyone all week and now he was tired, hungry, confused, in pain…an hour ago he had been ready to take on Garmadon himself but now he didn't even have the energy to argue with anyone else. He pulled himself up off the ground, feeling stiff and sore. He limped back over to the entrance to the Samauri X cave, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. The peace and quiet from outside was marred by the inside ruckus of machinery and yelled orders. He sighed, leaning up against a railing as he watched everyone prepare to leave. It looked like Nya was going with Ronin…Jay was over with his parents…Wu was talking to Lloyd and Misako seemed to be headed over to REX. Everyone getting ready to go on their missions. He glanced over at the monitors. What was he supposed to be monitoring here, anyways? Any monitoring they needed could be done by Zane and P.I.X.A.L...he figured his "role" was really just an excuse to help him feel useful as he stayed behind. He sighed again. Someone touched his shoulder and he looked over at his father.

"Hey Dad." he tried to give his father a small smile, but Lou just shook his head.

"I know you don't want to be here, son. Knowing you, you want to be out in the front of the action."

Cole watched as Jay tightened something or other on the bus, saying something to his folks. Ed laughed and rubbed his son's head, obviously glad to have him back.

"I…just hate feeling useless. And sitting here, doing nothing…"

"I get how you feel son." Cole looked over at his father, eyebrow raised. Lou chuckled a bit. "I'm sure you can imagine how helpful an old performer is to a resistance…"

Cole smiled. "How many songs did you write, Pop?"

"17. But only 6 or 7 are good enough quality to warrant…" Lou trailed off and he turned back to his son. "I did want to help though… _really_ help. I came up with a plan and everything. But it…backfired…"

Cole gave his father a comforting back pat. A few engines revved and they looked up. It seemed like everyone was ready to head out. Wu walked over and Cole looked at the ground. He was still not very happy with his now-teenage sensei.

"We're leaving one bike behind…if anything happens and you are discovered, use it to get you and your Father out of here." the Golden-Master explained.

"To…where?" Lou asked. Wu turned to him.

"Anywhere…as long as it's away from the city." He eyed Cole again. " _OK?"_

"Yep." he muttered. Wu sighed and nodded. That was going to have to be good enough. He turned to the rest of the group.

"Alright…keep track of one another on your communicators. If any of you happen to run into my brother, _do not engage._ Let us know your position and clear the way as best as you can without attacking Garmadon. He is too powerful at this point…"

"Then how are _you_ going to take him down?" Ronin asked testily. Wu ignored the thief choosing instead to open the door to the outside.

Cole and Lou watched as everyone boarded their vehicles and headed out into the morning. Cole's friends made sure to wave as they headed out, and he gave waves in return. Keyda was the last to leave, and Cole realized that her eyes were purple. He wondered who had set her off this time…or was she mad at him? The longer he knew her…the more impossible she was to read. She looked over sternly and pointed a finger at him.

"Stay. Put."

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" he asked, a little irritably. He frowned and rubbed a hand through his hair as she turned to go.

"Hey…Keyds…"

She paused and glanced over at him as he sighed.

"Be careful…ok? Garmadon and Harumi are dangerous…"

"Don't worry about me, Idiot. Dangerous is my way of life, remember?" She disappeared out the door. Cole and Lou stood in silence as they listened to the Samauri X entrance seal itself shut. A light flickered and Lou turned, eyebrow raised.

"Soo...I didn't really recognize that young lady…"

Cole facepalmed, groaning internally. Not only was he left behind with his father…but now he was stuck in _this_ conversation.

"I don't really wanna talk about it, Pop…" he limped over to one of the chairs by the monitors, typing into the computer system. Sure enough…lots of little red dots, still in the same places they were in before. Go figure.

Lou followed him over.

"Well…it's just that I couldn't help noticing…"

"It's really nothing."

" _What's_ really nothing?"

" _Dad_ …"

"Ok. So you don't want to talk about it." Lou grunted as he lowered himself in a seat, cane still in hand. "But we do have a lot of time on our hands…"

"Like you said…don't want to talk about it."

"So there is an 'it' to talk about?"

Cole gave him a withering look. Lou sighed, frustrated. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet.

"Son, over the years we have barely seen each other...and then just like that you were gone."

Cole didn't turn to look at him, but he stopped typing. Lou continued.

"I realized that I had run out of chances to get to know my son…but then, miracle upon miracle, here you are. This is my chance Cole…maybe our _last_ chance. I…I know I haven't really been the best father in the past. But I am trying to be better…please at least _talk_ to me…"

Cole sat for a moment, and then looked over.

"What do you wanna know, Pop?" he asked, resigned. Lou smiled in relief and patted his knee.

"How'd you meet?"

"Umm…" Cole shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "We were in the first realm, you know, and she…got me out of a tough spot. I got her _into_ a couple more…um…finally talked her out of killing me, and she agreed to come help us out."

"Ah." Lou blinked. "I see…uh…that bit about talking her out of killing you…that's a joke, right?"

Cole shrugged. "Yeah…well…she is an Oni, Dad. Being of destruction and all."

Lou smoothed his vest. "But you trust her?"

"Yes."

Lou looked at his son's expression out of the corner of his eye.

"Aaaaand…you _like_ her."

Cole shrugged again as his father continued to stare at him with raised eyebrows and a wide smile.

"I don't know. She is so _confusing…_ half the time I honestly think she hates everything; my friends, the world, me…but all her actions say different things than her words…you know? Under all the bitterness and rage I think she does care. She'll say whatever she's thinking, not caring about the consequences. Which means that even if she lacks tact…she's never afraid to tell the truth. Heck, she's one of the most honest people I've ever met, technically. At first, I just wanted to help her, you know…she was stuck in a pretty bad position. But then…I don't know, it just sorta…" he shrugged again, frustrated. "I don't know. I can't explain it. Frankly, it doesn't make any sense."

He began typing into the monitor again, searching random files as his father nodded in silence behind him.

"You know…life doesn't make sense sometimes. Take my second talent competition at Marty Openhiemer's…we Royal Blacksmiths had won the year before, and it was time to defend our title. You'd better believe I worked my quartet nearly into the ground… I do not like losing, son."

Cole smirked a little as he continued typing. Lou went on.

"When we arrived, we were ready to take home the prize. Especially since most of the other acts were sub par at best. But then there was this trio…heavens, I could never have prepared for them. Especially not a certain young lady with a dazzling smile…and the best dancing I'd ever seen. We lost that day son…but I found something greater than a mere performance title. Indeed, sometimes life doesn't make sense. But isn't that what makes it so interesting?"

"I remember that story." Cole said softly. "Mom was always rubbing that victory in your face…"

Lou laughed. "Well…what can I say? They deserved it…and I may have been a little distracted." He chuckled a little longer before falling quiet.

"She'd be proud of you, son."

Cole froze.

"I'm serious…all you and your friends have done to protect people, to help people…"

"I don't know Pop." Cole's voice was quiet. "I…I kinda get the feeling that she wouldn't have wanted this life for me. Like maybe she didn't want me to be an elemental master…"

"Son." Lou's voice became stern. "I know I haven't always been that supportive of your decisions…especially the ones that took you away from our family's traditions. But I know your mother…and all she ever wanted for you was that you'd do the right thing. That's what you've been doing…you and your friends. You're doing what makes you happy…and she's proud of you. I know it."

Cole let out a shaky breath and looked over at his father.

"Thanks, Pop."

 _Harumi_

"We can leave immediately." Harumi informed her Emperor. He nodded absently, eyes still off in the horizon. "Are you sure you just want to wait at the temple? We could have forces hunt your brother down…"

"There is no need. He will come to me." Garmadon cut her off and she bowed in response. She turned to Mr. E, who was waiting silently nearby.

"Keep the monitors going; I want eyes on all the ninja as much as possible. And do not stop looking for their base; I want all the rebels squashed…it will help if they have nowhere left to run back to."

The red-eyed nindroid nodded his understanding and headed for the security room. Harumi smoothed her hair. Garmadon was sure that Wu would be coming to face him. No doubt he would bring his nephew with him…and this time, Lloyd would not slip away.

22


	19. Part 18

Nicki's Story

 _ **86**_

Jay tried waving at Nya as REX headed out over the desert, but either she didn't see him or she was ignoring him. He sighed, annoyed.

"We haven't even been back for a whole day and she's already _mad_ at me…" he grumbled. Zane patted his back.

"I'm sure Nya will come around."

"After everything we've been through….she _better."_

Zane, Jay, and Pixal were seated in the back of the bus as Ed drove it towards Ninjago City. Dareth was standing nearby, eagerly awaiting the time he could get onboard the laser-gun seat.

"It would certainly help if any of you had been willing to share the circumstances of what happened in the first realm. You were under mind control…she will understand." P.I.X.A.L pointed out. Jay looked up at her in surprise, and then over at Zane accusingly.

"Wait…you _told her?"_

"Of course," Zane said, unapologetic. Jay facepalmed.

"If Nya finds out that you told Pix before I even told _her…_ "

"Jay…I am afraid that there are more pressing matters at the moment," P.I.X.A.L cut in once again. "We have nearly entered the city…and based on the information I have, there is a large group of S.O.G blocking the way to Borg tower."

"Right…" Jay turned to look out the window. "You guys should get off here, then… we'll see how well that S.O.G blockade holds up once we ram this tour bus into it…" He looked over at Dareth.

"Um…why is it that we even _have_ a tour-bus? I don't think that anybody actually explained that…"

"We built it ourselves!" Ed called from the front seat. "So we could tour Ninjago in disguise…"

"Oh." Jay blinked. "Well. I guess that makes sense. Nothing says discreet like a flashy purple theater bus…"

"It actually worked pretty well…" Dareth cut in. "Uh…until we got caught, that is."

"I believe this is our stop." Zane said, and the tour bus pulled to a halt as the two droids hopped out. Jay gave a quick wave.

"Good luck…um…hope you find Borg…"

"Good luck to you as well." Zane said with a quick smile. A few moments later he and P.I.X.A.L had disappeared down the street.

"Ok….pleeeease tell me it's laser gun time now…" Dareth said, readying himself to pull the lever. Ed had started driving again and it wasn't long before they could hear the revving of motorcycle engines. Ed looked back at his son, who gave him a nod.

"Alright…let's do this."

 _Nya_

"I mean, it's bad enough that they had everyone thinking they were dead…but they can't even _talk_ about where they've been?! What's _that_ about?!"

Ronin rolled his eyes as he piloted REX across the desert. Nya was in the co-pilot seat, but she was doing more venting than navigating at the minute.

"They probably just didn't want to talk about it…maybe it was traumatic…" Misako chimed in from the backseat.

"Traumatic? _Traumatic?!_ We're the ones who thought we lost _everyone…_ "

"We _could_ keep talking about this… or we could actually focus on what the heck we're going to do when we reach Ninjago City." Ronin cut in. Nya turned and glowered at him, but he ignored the look as he continued.

"I for one vote for the latter….seeing as the second we get there we are going to get swarmed. What exactly is our role, here?"

"We're supposed to be the air support for Jay and Kai." Misako reminded. "We aren't sure why the S.O.G have pulled all their forces into Ninjago city or what Garamdon's plan is…but if we can make sure that as many thugs are out of commission as possible it will give Wu and my son the added help they need to defeat Garmadon and Harumi, as well as protect the citizens of the city…"

"That's _another_ thing!" Nya said, launching into her venting once again. "Why is it that everyone seems totally fine about having an Oni onboard with this plan? I mean, she and Garmadon are probably related, and no one's worried that she's going to just switch sides?!"

"Wu said he trusts her…and I trust Wu." Misako said sternly.

"Well…. _I_ for one trust Murphy's Law." Ronin said grumpily. They had nearly reached the city now. "What do we do if all of this goes south? If the plan fails? What's our next step?"

Everyone was quiet as they passed over the first few buildings of Ninjago City. Misako was the one who finally spoke.

"There are no next steps. The plan must not fail."

 _Wu_

The Ultra Dragon paused as Wu drew back on the golden harness.

"Is he at Borg Tower?" Lloyd asked softly. There was a strong possibility that his father and Harumi would be holed up there, but Zane and P.I.X.A.L were adamant that they needed to get Borg. Lloyd just had to hope that they would be able to get him undetected.

Wu was silent, eyes closed. Gold aura shimmered around him and Lloyd felt a small pang; Wu had discovered new powers…would he ever be able to rediscover his own?

Wu opened his eyes.

"No…he has left the tower…"

"Do you know where he is now?"

Wu's brows furrowed in concentration. "It's hard to tell…"

Keyda looked down across the city…it was like nothing she had ever seen. Were those buildings? How did they make them so tall?

"He could be anywhere." she said softly. There were miles of buildings, how would they ever find him?

Lloyd sighed, frustrated. "Why would he hide? That doesn't seem like him, or Harmui…"

"They are not hiding. They are waiting for us." Wu said, matter-of-factly. "It has to be somewhere they knew you'd think of.

Lloyd frowned. Like what? His gaze drifted across the cityscape. All at once it hit him, and he turned to his uncle.

"Try the temple of resurrection."

 _Kai_

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us…" Skylor called over to Kai. He shrugged in reply, as if not worried. Their entrance to the city was firmly blockaded, and a large Purple man could be seen waiting with a large weapon that looked like a huge baseball bat.

"I think we can take 'em…" Kai said, nonplussed. Skylor rolled her eyes.

"That big guy…Killow…he got shot in the right calf not that long ago. We can use that to our advantage."

"You shot him?" Kai asked, surprised. Skylor smirked.

"Technically, Harumi did…"

"What? You guys have fought with Harumi since we've been gone?"

"Several times…" Skylor said distractedly, trying to figure out their best option for getting into the city. "Ok…I take right and you take left…."

"If you say so," Kai said eager to finally get some fighting in. Seeing everyone in the Samurai X cave had been fun and all….but all that planning had given him an itchy trigger finger.

"Well, well, well…" Killow's voice bellowed as their bikes drew nearer. "Looks like you should have brought a few more friends…"

"Who says we didn't?" Kai said, pushing a few buttons on his bike. A few torpedoes launched, blasting a few S.O.G off of their motorcycles. Skylor aimed her bike straight for Killow, who posed ready to strike with his bat. She leapt off as he swung the bat down, hitting her bike into the crowd of thugs. She aimed her leap towards his right calf, delivering a nasty kick in a weak spot. Killow howled and went to grab the red-head, but she had already flipped back into the crowd. A few blasts of fire came from her left and soon she found herself back to back with Kai.

"So…heard a funny rumor…" she started. She leapt into the air as a few thugs came into attack, kicking one in the face and swinging the other back into the crowd.

"Oh yeah?" Kai blasted a few bikers backwards. "Look…if it was from my sister and had anything to do with my hair….I'm telling you now it's a _lie…"_

"Nah…though she might have mentioned that you hung my picture up in the bounty…"

Kai froze and would have been hit in the head with a bat if Skylor hadn't pulled him out of the way. Kai snapped out of it and used Skylor's pull as momentum to spring up and hit Killow in the face.

"Ah…well…Misako thought that having pictures of all our friends would…you know…help morale…"

Skylor grunted as she punched out another thug. "Oh…so you had pictures of _all_ your female friends…"

"Look, maybe we should just focus on the task at hand?" Kai panted. Killow had grabbed him and he was struggling against the large man's grip.

"Are you avoiding the topic?" Skylor asked, using Killow's bat to knock out a few more thugs before three more grabbed her from behind.

"Maybe just…postponing it?" Kai gasped as Killow laughed.

"Like I said…you both should have brought more friends…"

 _Lou_

"I found it!" Lou said, coming around the corner, song book in hand. "I must have misplaced it after…"

The sound of soft snoring broke into his thoughts and he looked up. He sighed, smiling, at the sight of Cole sleeping in the monitor chair. He walked over and sat next to his son, chuckling. He pulled out a pencil and flipped to a blank page.

His own eyes were growing heavy when Cole started groaning, waking him up. He rubbed his eyes and looked over.

"Son? Everything alright?"

Cole started calling out, breathing hard. His arms and scar flashed as he yelled out in fear.

"What's wrong? Wake up, son!" Lou grabbed Cole's arms just as he went limp. Lou's heart was pounding as he tried shaking him awake.

"Cole! Wake up!"

 _ **87**_

"Not again…." Cole muttered, facing an endless gray void. He was sick of this nightmare…there were more important things going on.

"We do not have much time…"

Cole turned to find Garmadon—the good one—behind him. He looked a lot more haggard than when he saw him last.

"Are…are you ok?"

"It's been hard enough to forge this connection…don't waste time with stupid questions…" Garmadon growled. Cole blinked as Lloyd's father continued.

"I've realized that you were saved through aura connections…both Dragon and Oni. I need to know _who_ made those connections…"

"Uhh….it was Wu. Wu and an Oni named Keyda,"

"An Oni?" Garmadon looked troubled. "But that doesn't make any sense."

"They're on their way to do the same thing to you, actually." Cole pointed out. "So…hopefully you won't have to hold on for much longer…"

"Aura connections are incredibly tricky…they only work with people you have a close connection to." Garmadon cut in, sounding a little frantic. "Oni or not, your 'friend' will not be able to make the connection with someone they've never met." His expression turned suspicious. "In fact, it doesn't even make sense that they were able to connect with _you…_ "

"Yeah…weird." Cole said, flushing a bit. "But…it _has_ to work, Garmadon…there's no one else that has the power to make the connection."

"Of course there is." Garmadon countered, sounding defensive. "My brother and my son have both Dragon and Oni within them. No one else will be able to do it…understand? You have to make sure that it's them…"

"But…Lloyd doesn't have…"

Everything suddenly grew hazy; Cole realized he must be waking up. Garmadon gave him one last harrowed look.

"The connection is breaking… and I won't be able to last here much longer. Pass on my message…to my brother…"

Cole woke up.

 _S.O.G_

Mr. E had eyes on about half of the ninja. He ran a few more diagnostics, but he couldn't seem to locate earth or ice. They seemed to have all planned a simultaneous attack…but it seemed strange for them to go straight for the largest groups of S.O.G. Were they creating a distraction? Or looking to defeat the biker gang once and for all?

He turned his attention to the scanners that were scouring the desert. He was pretty confident that their base was somewhere out there, since that is where the ninja reportedly disappeared after leaving Borg Tower. In addition, it seemed that all three of the attacking groups had come from the desert. He zoomed into what seemed to be an anomaly in the scanner. A sudden idea came to mind and the nindroid did a deep level scan. There were a lot of different cave and cavern systems in the desert…but the space under the anomaly seemed far too uniform. Bingo.

He sent the coordinates with instructions to Ultra-Violet, who was only too happy to oblige. One thing taken care of, then. Now all he had left on his to-do list was quickly and efficiently crushing the ninja. He swiveled his chair to type into a machine behind him. He finished typing and flipped a switch on the side, leaning back in his chair in a satisfied way. No doubt the ninja were connected via com links…but the frequencies now being put out by Borg Tower should disrupt any electronic communication in the entire city. That should make things a little harder on the colorful rebels.

A ping came up on the security monitor behind him, and he swiveled for a better look. It seemed that Borg tower had a few uninvited guests. He stood and pulled out his two red katanas; it looked like there was something else on his to-do-list after all.

 _P.I.X.A.L_

P.I.X.A.L paused at the door. What if he was not in there? Or what if he was, but…

Zane put a hand on her shoulder and she looked over at him.

"I cannot scan through the door…" he noted. She nodded absently.

"He did like his privacy..." she sighed. "Zane…I am afraid of what we will find."

"Would you like me to go first? To…to verify…"

"No." she cut him off. "I need to do this. I am the one who left him behind." She hacked into the security code on the door and grasped the handle. Closing her eyes, she pushed open the door.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting…but she was faced with what looked to be an empty office. P.I.X.A.L felt a shoot of panic; what if they hadn't been holding him here after all? Or perhaps they had already gotten rid of…

"I'm picking up something from over here…" Zane said softly, pointing at a large storage closet. P.I.X.A.L nodded and Zane went to open the closet door. Before he could actually get a grasp on the handle, however, the door burst open and Zane and P.I.X.A.L found themselves being attacked by various office supplies.

"I won't go down without a fight…you _monster_!" Cyrus Borg yelled, picking up a notebook. He froze mid-throw as he saw who had actually entered his office prison cell.

"P.I.X.A.L? And….and _Zane?_ I thought you were...well…all the evidence showed…" he trailed off as the notebook fell out of his hand and P.I.X.A.L rushed to his side.

"You are alive!" she said, relieved. She took in his gaunt appearance and quickly began a body scan.

"Yes…barely…I've been waiting here since you left for Garamdon to come finish me off. Luckily, it seems he has had other things to occupy his time. Well….considering that it's _Garmadon_ anything he spends his time on is probably bad news for us in the end…but still…" Borg was rambling and P.I.X.A.L scanned his temperature.

"You are running a fever…a high one. It seems like you were able to remove the bolt?"

Cyrus Borg made a face, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

"Ahhhh….yes. Had to be done."

"How did you stop the bleeding?"

"Well I'm no doctor, but there's enough electronical stuff in this office that I was able to cauterize it. Again…had to be done, but I do _not_ recommend it."

P.I.X.A.L turned to Zane, who hadn't really said much since their arrival.

"We have to get him to a hospital…"

He nodded his agreement, though he still looked troubled. She stood.

"What is it, Zane?"

"It seems my com link is down…something is interfering with our communication with our friends…"

"That evil red robot, no doubt." Borg wheezed, disgusted. "If you can make it to the control room you can override the scrambler…."

"The most important thing right now is to get you to medical attention," Zane responded. He walked over and began pushing the wheelchair. P.I.X.A.L led the way down the hallways. Zane had frozen over the security cameras on the way in, so they traveled quickly as she navigated their way to a secluded exit. She was searching her files for information on the nearest hospital when she suddenly had the feeling she was being watched.

"Get down." she instructed, and Zane took a fighters stance, pushing the wheelchair up against a wall and positioning himself in front of it.

They waited a few moments in tense silence. Suddenly, a security fire door slammed closed behind them. Another slam echoed down the hall; based on the security network she was connected to, P.I.X.A.L could see that someone had boxed them in. Scanning revealed a single figure making their way towards them. Her eyes narrowed; she could guess at who it was.

"It's two against one…" Zane voice was low behind her.

"But he will not hesitate to target Borg…" she pointed out as worry gnawed inside as she aimed an arrow at the turn in the hallway, where a red figure would no doubt be emerging soon.

"Then we won't let him get that far…"

 _Cole_

"But…how do you know it wasn't just a dream?" Lou asked again as his son typed furiously into the Samurai X-Cave mainframe.

"Wu…Lloyd…can you hear me?" Cole spoke into the microphone once again, but all he was getting back was static. He groaned in impatience and pounded the desk.

"Kai…Zane…Jay…Ronin?" he tried, but each connection seemed to have the same problem. He shut off the com link with disgust.

"That is not a good sign…." he muttered.

"You could be getting all worked up for nothing…" Lou tried but Cole shook his head.

"This was different than my typical nightmare…plus, what Garmadon said made sense. But If I can't even get through to Lloyd and Wu then it's hardly going to make a difference." He dry washed his face. "Not that it would make a difference _anyways…_ because Lloyd doesn't have any powers at the moment, let _alone_ Oni ones…but I can't even warn them that their plan _isn't going to work …."_

"It's…going to be ok, Son." Lou patted his back. "Wu's a smart man, I'm sure he's thought this plan through."

"Without the com links…how am I even supposed to know everyone's alright? What if they _aren't_ alright?!" Cole had pushed himself up out of the chair and was painfully pacing around the cave. He turned and nearly tripped over a pile of clothes on the ground.

"Ugh…really Jay?!" Cole grunted. "I swear some things never change." He bent over and picked up the blue gi. After their time in the first realm, their clothes had been in a sad state. For reasons unknown, Ronin had a few of their ninja suits stashed in REX...no doubt he had stolen them awhile back with plans to sell. At any rate, the ninja had all taken some time to change after getting to the cave.

"Well…he and the others were in a bit of a rush…" Lou pointed out from where he was still seated by the monitor.

"Hardly an excuse to…" Cole started, but he trailed off as he saw something poking out from behind Jay's sash. What did he have stored in there?

"You ok?" Lou asked. Cole's sudden quietness worried him; he hoped he wasn't on the verge of passing out or something. He watched as his son pulled two black gloves out of the dirty blue bundle. Cole looked at them, confused.

"These….aren't Jay's. Where did he get these?"

Lou stood and walked over, looking at the gloves.

"May I?" he asked, and Cole handed him one.

"Interesting material… I don't recognize it. But they do have a classy look to them…I could see myself wearing them onstage. Maybe with a top hat or a monocle…"

It hit Cole like a ton of bricks.

"I think these are the Baron's. Why does Jay have the Baron's gloves?"

"Uh…I….don't know. Which Baron?"

Cole's brow was furrowed as he tried to remember back. They had said that the Baron had been defeated…but why keep his gloves? Some kind of weird momento? Or was there something special about them? He tried to remember back to the last time he had seen the Baron. He was pretty sure he was wearing gloves…and he was lobbing giant purple Oni powerballs around.

 _We take objects and mesh them with Oni magic to accomplish certain tasks…_

The Oni masks gave their wearer's power…the Baron's staff had had power as well. Cole shuddered thinking about it. Could it be that these gloves had a similar power?

"I need to talk to my friends…if these gloves are what I think they are, then I have to get them to Lloyd…" He made it to the monitors and spent the next few minutes trying to connect with his friends. Once again it was in vain.

"Ok, that's it." He turned to his father, who was standing nearby looking worried. "You stay here. I have to make a quick run to the city…"

"NO, Son… you're in no state…"

"I can't get ahold of them any other way! Dad, this could change everything…"

"Then let _me_ go…"

" _No way,"_

Their arguing was becoming heated as a sudden alarm began blaring. Both turned to the monitor in time to see a handful of red dots closing in on their location.

"Oh dear…" Lou said softly as Cole turned to him.

"Well…looks like our minds are made up for us. We're both going."

 _ **88**_

Jay decided that Dareth's war cry truly was a thing to experience. For some reason, seeing the overweight, brown-clothed man taking out motorcyclists with a laser gun made him feel proud. Good Old Dareth…he had come so far.

He turned his attention to the bikers on the right side of the bus, firing lightening out at the vehicles. The thugs yelled out as their engines overheated, a couple jumping off as the engines actually exploded.

"Man…I hope this gang has insurance…" Jay chuckled as he took out another bike. "Cuz they sure are going to need it…"

"What's that, son?" Ed called from the front. Jay sighed.

"Just a joke, Dad!"

"What Joke, hun?" his Mom called from the passenger side, turning to look at him.

"I just said that I hope these guys have insurance…"

"Insurance? I'm not sure that being in a bike gang grants any kind of insurance, honey…" Edna called back, confused.

" _That's why it was a joke!"_ Jay called back, shaking his head.

"Watch out, Ed!" Edna cried suddenly, and Ed swerved to avoid a large barricade that the thugs had set up. A few wheels left the ground as the bus took a sharp turn down a narrow ally.

"Oh…I don't think we wanted to be down here, Ed…." Edna pointed out.

"Well…I _know_ dear…but I had to avoid that barrier…"

"But we nearly lost Dareth off the back!"

"I'm fine…." The Brown Ninja called from where he was hanging onto to his armrests for dear life.

Jay looked behind them in time to see another barricade being put up. He had a sinking feeling about all of this…

"They're boxing us in!" he called frantically.

"Ed….you need to find somewhere to turn!" Edna said, turning to her husband. His eyebrows were knit in concentration.

"Oh gosh…I don't think I can! There's nowhere wide enough…"

Jay activated his com link. "Zane! Zane, I need a favor: can you pinpoint our location and tell us how to…" he trailed off as he realized his com link produced a static response. He moaned and tried REX.

"Nya?! Ronin?! _Can anybody hear me?!"_

"ED!"

Jay looked up to see a huge blockade with a dozen S.O.G on top of it. Were those…rocket launchers?!

"Not…good…"

 _Kai_

"Normally, I'd bag the two of you up…but the bosses aren't playing so nice anymore." Killow said, smiling cruelly as he continued to squeeze Kai. "In fact, our orders are a little more on the _extermination_ side…"

Skylor grunted as she fought against her many assailants. She called up to Kai.

"There weren't supposed to be this many of them at this entrance!"

"Well….I guess….we were wrong…." Kai wheezed, trying to activate his elemental power. This brute was about to have some nasty hand burns!

Skylor managed to wrench a hand free and activated her com link.

"We need some help…" she called into it, but all she got in reply was static. Two more thugs grabbed her arm and she yelled out in frustration.

"I think you perhaps waited a _bit_ too long to make that call…" Killow taunted. He turned back to Kai, who was turning an interesting shade of red as he struggled for breath. "Don't worry…I'll try to make this as painless as possible…I may even keep that over-gelled shag of yours as a momento…."

" _SHAG?!"_ Kai gasped. No one…. _no one_ insulted his hair. And he wasn't about to let it become some trophy either. He yelled and managed to ignite his fists. Killow yelled out in shock, his hold instantly loosening. Kai took a much needed breath and the fire at his hands grew bigger. Killow dropped him.

"Someone _kill_ them already…" he ordered as he looked at the burns on his hands with disgust.

Kai heard the sound of several crossbows clicking as S.O.G. took aim at him and Skylor. Hands still lit, he prepared for the assault. Then something exploded, sending S.O.G flying in multiple directions.

Skylor took advantage of the distraction to deftly kick her assailants off of her. She managed to get next to Kai as the two of them looked around to see who had fired on the biker crowd.

"There!" Skylor called, pointing up at the airship headed their way.

Kai laughed in relief. "I love my little sis!"

 _Cole_

Cole revved the engine of the bike and looked up at where his dad was standing.

"C'mon, we've gotta get out of here…"

Lou looked less sure. "There's only the one entrance…and they're already almost on us. Son…I'm not sure we would make it out…"

"We have to go _now!"_ Cole insisted. "Hurry and get on!"

"This place has its own security system. If we stay here it should protect us from them," Lou argued, stubbornly refusing to come any closer. Cole glared back.

"We don't have time for this…if we stay here then we'll never get the gloves to Lloyd!"

"They have a plan…they're going to be fine. I'm not leaving,"

"Well I'm not leaving you here with _them,"_ Cole gestured to the monitor showing red dots that were nearly onto their location. "So get. On. The. Bike."

The Alarm was getting more intense as a P.I.X.A.L-like voice came on.

"Engaging assailants in 30 seconds…"

"Cole…"

" _DAD."_

The performer threw his hands up in frustration.

"Do _not_ take that tone with me! I am still your _father!"_

 _"_ I'm not 13 anymore Dad! And _the world is at stake!"_

"10 seconds…"

" _But what if I lose you again!?"_

Cole sighed and suddenly the only sound in the room was the blaring alarm.

"5 seconds"

"Dad…this is it…this is where either we defeat Garmadon or we all lose _everything._ There is no in between…and we won't win if we don't get these to the city. Ok?"

"Engaging now."

Lou looked over at the monitor and back at his son. He sighed heavily and started making his way over to bike. He hadn't made it far when the entrance to the cave exploded, the jolt of it knocking him to his knees.

Cole nearly fell off the bike, but seeing the figures coming into the cave he dismounted and hurried to help his Dad up.

"C'mon…" he muttered, eyes still on the figures coming out of the dust.

"What'd I tell you?" a screechy sing-song voice cut in. "Nothing a little blast sap couldn't fix…"

Cole had gotten his father to the bike and they managed to board it. Cole's mouth went dry as he saw how many S.O.G were blocking the entrance. How was he going to get them out of here?

Ultra Violet emerged from the dust and rubble and spotted the pair on the bike. She chuckled.

"Oh ho ho…look who we got here? A couple of renegades guarding the nest?"

"Hold on Pop…." he muttered, still looking for an opening. There were too many of them, and he doubted he could fight his way out of here.

"You might as well get off that thing…there's no way out of this one…" UV had pulled her knife and was walking closer.

The Bike shot forward and Ultra Violet jumped out of the way to avoid being run over. Cole wove through a few more bikers, but then the back tire exploded and threw him and his father off the motorcycle. Cole coughed and struggled to his feet, making sure to keep his father behind him as more bikers approached. He glanced over to see a three-pronged dagger sticking out of the tire of his bike. His mind raced to formulate a plan.

"Wait…" the purple villain raised a curious eyebrow. "You're the earth ninja….aren't you? Well, isn't this your lucky day…you're on the _nab_ list; turns out Emperor Garmadon has a few questions for you…"

"Son…" Lou breathed from behind him. Cole tried to decide if he could pull off an earth punch.

"Come quietly, and I'll even spare your old man," Ultra Violet cackled as a few S.O.G launched at them. Cole fired up his earth punch and knocked them away, wincing, but then Ultra Violet was right next to him with a knife to his ribs.

"In case you were wondering…I don't consider that coming _quietly…_ Now I'm afraid I'll have to…"

Whatever she was about to say was cut short as Lou's cane broke across her head. The purple villain slumped to the ground and Cole looked at his father in surprise.

"C'mon son, now's our chance!"

Cole nodded, using his earth punch to knock away a few more thugs before reaching one of their bikes. His father jumped on with him and he hit the gas hard. Lou yelled out as he almost flew off the back and wrapped his arms around his son to avoid doing so again.

"Not so tight on my ribs..." Cole grimaced as he steered around a few more S.O.G members. Then, miracle of miracles, they burst out of the decimated entrance and into the sunlight.

 _ **89**_

"Wait…" Lloyd whispered. Wu pulled back on the Dragon harness and looked over at his nephew. The green ninja looked concerned.

"Are we sure this is a good idea, going in alone? I mean…the last time I saw my dad…" he trailed off, jaw clenched. "Maybe we should have brought everyone… or at least have taken a more secret way in,"

"I know it seems foolish to rush in; my brother will have the upper hand. But just as I can sense him in this temple of resurrection, he can sense my whereabouts. Keyda and I have the best chance to make an aura connection if we go in on the offensive. If we had to rely on brute force to defeat him, we would have brought more allies…but as it is we only need a few minutes to complete the connection, and more people would have just given Garmadon more to target."

Lloyd nodded absently. "We will have to be on the lookout for Harumi as well. No doubt she will be here somewhere…"

"Indeed. I'm afraid keeping an eye out for her will be your task, Lloyd. As well as steering the Ultra-Dragon." Wu said. Lloyd looked up in surprise as the Dragon Master continued. "Making the aura connection will take my full concentration."

Lloyd nodded and switched Wu positions.

"Are you sure he's even here? This place looks deserted."

Wu turned and looked at Keyda as she spoke for the first time in a while.

"Do not be deceived…my brother is not far. Keyda…we will not have much time to accomplish our task, and all of our friends are depending on us to accomplish it."

She swallowed. "But…but what if I _can't…_ "

"Now is not the time to entertain doubts. You've done it before; clear your mind and I know you can do it again."

She sighed. "Alright."

Wu looked over at Lloyd, who nodded his readiness as well. Wu signaled onward. The Ultra-Dragon soared over the deserted-looking temple. The three figures were tense as they scanned the area.

Lloyd's stomach flip-flopped. The last time he had seen his father, he had beaten him within an inch of his life and claimed to have no son. This monster would show them no mercy…he had to trust in whatever it was that Wu and this Keyda said they were able to do.

"We can both sense each other…it is pointless for either of us to hide…" Wu finally called out, trying to draw out his brother. A few more moments ticked away in silence. Keyda spotted some movement in the shadows…and what appeared to be Oni aura. She blinked in surprise.

"I haven't been hiding…" Garmadon's cruel voice echoed through the temple grounds as he slowly made his way out of the shadows. "I believe it was you, _little brother_ , who has been hidden away in another realm…" He lobbed a ball of power at the dragon, and Lloyd yanked on the harness. The Dragon dove out of the way, each of the heads growling angrily at the Dark figure.

"I see that you have left your students behind, Wu. You trust too much in your new armor…it will not be able to protect you against me. And I see that my _son_ has yet to learn his lesson…"

Lloyd's hands shook as he pulled again at the harness, dodging another attack of Hatred. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to also be on the lookout for Harumi. He tried to block his father from his mind as he looked around for the former Quiet One.

"But it is the other passenger of yours that intrigues me the most." Garmadon said, fixing Keyda with a blinkless, red stare. She shuddered. "It seems you have brought both Dragon and Oni back from the first realm. How fortunate for me…"

As soon as Garmadon had appeared, Wu had closed his eyes and started to emit golden aura. Garmadon stopped speaking suddenly as he felt Wu's aura link finally hit home. He blinked, confused for a moment, then yelled out in rage and began throwing more dark purple orbs at them. The Ultra-Dragon ducked and weaved, and Lloyd grunted as he tried to keep the Dragon close enough for Wu to continue his connection. The Green ninja looked over at Keyda; her eyes were closed and she appeared to be meditating as well, but the expression on her face made it seem like she was running into some trouble.

She exhaled, trying to settle her nerves as she clutched firmly on the bucking dragon. She tried to push away the panic inside as she searched once again for something to connect her aura to…but there was nothing. Who was she looking for?

Wu was struggling to maintain his own hold, his face contorted in concentration.

"Keyda! You have to make the connection!" he said, straining.

She could sense the monster's Oni power. She reached out towards it mentally, but even then she could find nothing and no one to connect to. She was shaking as she tried to remember how she had done it before. She had been able to find Cole…she had sensed his familiar aura within the emptiness. But all she could sense now was darkness.

"I _can't…_ " she said, panicking. "I…I don't know who I'm looking for!"

"You have to!" Wu's voice was taking on a tone of desperation.

Lloyd felt his own panic rising as he dodged another assault from Garamadon. Their plan wasn't working…whatever it was that was supposed to bring his father back wasn't happening. The Ultra Dragon fired a round of lightening and Garmadon dodged out of the way. Wu yelled out as his aura connection thinned even more.

"Wu…" Lloyd started, wondering if it would be better for them to leave and regroup. Their plan had failed…they needed a new one.

"We won't…get another chance at this…" Wu interrupted, jaw clenched. Keyda desperately reached out again and again, but her fear and frustration was interfering and she soon found she was unable to meditate at all.

Lloyd saw a sudden blur of movement above them and tried to call out a warning, but it was too late. A weighted net made of vengestone chain knocked the Dragon out of the sky, trapping the three figures on its back as well. They yelled out as they plummeted to the earth. Garmadon stepped out of the way as they crashed, taking out the altar. Wu's connection was lost completely and he slumped forward, exhausted. Keyda pushed on the chains, trying to force her way out with her power. Her eyes widened in surprise…her power had no effect on the chain; in fact, she found it difficult to summon it at all as the chain touched her.

"What…what _is_ this?" her voice betrayed panic and anger. Garmadon shook his head, and his cruel laugh was joined with another. A pale-haired woman had joined him. Lloyd closed his eyes, angry at himself for not spotting her and her trap sooner.

"Harumi…"

"I don't know what your plan was, Lloyd…but its execution was pathetic, even for _you."_ she gloated. Lloyd activated his com link in an effort to report their predicament to their friends, but all he got was static. Harumi tutted at him.

"Oh Lloyd…your friends can't help you…in fact, last I checked in, they all were in _need_ of some help. It's over; it won't be long before they're all destroyed…just like your pathetic desert base."

Keyda looked up at that as Lloyd continued to glare at her.

"The three of you would be dead as well…if my emperor didn't have a greater need for you…" Harumi continued, turning towards Garmadon. His smile was chilling as he approached them.

"Let us begin…"

 _Zane_

Mr. E came running around the corner, dodging both P.I.X.A.L's arrows and Zane's shurikans. He charged at them, using his katanas to swat any weapon that came too close.

"P.I.X.A.L! Step Back!" Zane called. She moved out of the way and the nindroid froze the floor. Mr. E hit the ice and slid towards them, and P.I.X.A.L aimed another shot. He slammed a red katana into the ice, stabilizing himself as he dodged the arrow and then kicked P.I.X.A.L out of his way. She hit ice and slid down the hall a bit before grabbing and arrow and stabbing it into the ice to stop her slide. She looked up to see Mr. E launch himself at Zane.

Zane dodged the katana swings, using spinjitzu to defend himself. P.I.X.A.L pushed herself up and aimed an arrow for Mr. E's back, but he sensed her movement and threw a katana in her direction and knocked the bow out of her hand. As P.I.X.A.L chased after the two weapons, Zanes' spinjitzu hit home and threw the villain into the wall. However, Mr. E sprang back into the offensive as if nothing had happened.

"It seems even _two_ outdated droids are no match for today's technology…" the villain mocked as he landed a swing on Zane's arm with a metal clang. He winced and managed to kick Mr. E backwards.

"Zane!" P.I.X.A.L called out and he looked over as she threw him the other katana. He caught it and was able to block the next blow, which was aimed for his torso.

"You are outnumbered…surely you can calculate your odds in this…" Zane tried, straining against his assailant as P.I.X.A.L aimed another arrow.

Mr. E chuckled darkly and suddenly jumped out of the way. P.I.X.A.L's arrow missed hitting Zane in the face by a few millimeters, sticking into the wall instead. The near-miss had startled Zane enough that Mr. E had enough of a window to knock him out of the way. But instead of heading towards either droid, he moved towards Borg.

"NO!" P.I.X.A.L cried as Mr. E put a blade to Cyrus's throat. The inventor looked both terrified and annoyed that he was being used once again.

"Don't!" Zane added, powering up his ice. Mr. E added pressure and Borg yelped a bit. The red nindroid laughed.

"You are pathetic…both of you. In a way you are like me…such a keen grasp on logic and knowledge…and yet you throw your potential away at the whims of your intrusive _emotions._ Your compassion for this crippled inventor will be the biggest reason for your downfall."

Zane glanced at P.I.X.A.L, who couldn't take her eyes off of Borg. Both were trying to analyze a way out of the situation, but neither could think of anything. Mr. E seemed to be enjoying the power he had over them.

"You…Ice-Master…you consider yourself to be some kind of hero. But I say your programming has been bogged down with philosophical nonsense. You and your friends should have stayed in hiding…this death will not be one that any of you will escape from."

Zane's jaw clenched, still processing. Mr. E then turned to P.I.X.A.L.

"I had hoped to turn you… but it seems you are not what I thought. You are nothing but a burned copy of _him_ …all your hopes, ideals, thoughts…none are original. If you were going to be controlled by the thoughts and whims of someone else…why not choose to be on the winning side?"

"You are _wrong…"_ Zane said icily. P.I.X.A.L said nothing.

"Now you have both been deemed useless…my instructions were clear that you are both to be terminated."

P.I.X.A.L's mind was whirring, trying to come up with some way out of this. Mr. E couldn't move to kill them without letting go of Borg…but they couldn't dispose of him without Borg being put in peril. She stared at her maker, hoping some idea would form.

"Drop your weapons, and kick them to me…" Mr. E ordered. P.I.X.A.L hesitated, but Mr. E's grip tightened on his katana and she obliged. Next to her Zane did the same. The red nindroid looked down at the weapons and then back up at them. "If you want your dear little inventor here to live…I advise you do not dodge my next shots… and do not try to pull off anything heroic; to underestimate my reflexes would be a mistake."

"How do we know you will let him go after you get rid of us?" Zane asked. Mr. E chuckled again as he picked up the bow and arrows.

"Once you are dead…there is no reason for me to threaten him. Now the true question…which of you defects should I dispose of first?"

Mr. E aimed the arrow at Zane, but then slowly swung his aim so that it pointed at P.I.X.A.L instead.

"Last chance…" he said, and Zane glanced over at her. P.I.X.A.L shook her head.

"Have it your way…" he said. He released the arrow.

P.I.X.A.L dodged out of the way just as Zane released an ice blast towards the red nindroid. Mr. E stepped out of the way of the attack, shaking his head at Zane as if he was disappointed as he stabbed toward's Borg's heart with an arrow. But rather than ending the inventor, he felt the arrow head hit into something hard. He looked over in surprise and realized that the Ice-Master hadn't been aiming for him at all…he had frozen the _inventor!_

P.I.X.A.L was grateful that she and Zane had come to the same conclusion. By this point she had reached Mr. E and kicked him out of the way. Then she grabbed Borg's wheelchair, moving him out of the way as Zane moved in with a katana to take care of Mr. E. The red nindroid had recovered his other katana and soon they were embroiled in a battle once again.

"You have miscalculated…" Zane said as he blocked blow after blow. "We are stronger than you think…and our emotions are not a weakness,"

"Droids are not meant to feel…we are meant to accomplish that which logic dictates. That is why you will never be able to perform at your full potential.

"Logic can only take one so far." Zane was starting to move into the offensive position, and Mr. E found himself taking a defensive step backwards. "You consider emotions… _compassion…_ to be something that keeps me from my potential. But I learned long ago that my true potential is standing for what's right and standing by my friends. And it seems you will never know what that _feels_ like."

Mr. E shook his head and attacked once again.

"And you are wrong about P.I.X.A.L as well…she did not learn compassion from me…it is something I learned more fully from _her._ And you were foolish to think that you could ever take that away from her. _"_

"What a sweet sentiment…" Mr. E growled. Zane glanced up at something behind him and smiled slightly. The villain went in for a last attack and Zane managed to knock the katana out of his hand and knocked his legs from under him. As Mr. E hit the ground, the Ice Nindroid kicked him and sent him sliding across the ice. Suddenly, a security wall dropped and landed on his middle, crushing the villain and pinning him to the ground. He lashed out but could do nothing against its crushing weight. P.I.X.A.L knelt down next to his head, looking for the switch to power him down.

"You and your friends will fall…while you have all been distracted, the _real_ plan is in play…" Mr. E yelled, still straining. Suddenly his body went limp and his red eyes winked out as P.I.X.A.L found the switch she was looking for. She looked up at Zane, who was smiling.

"You hacked into the security-wall access…" Zane said, impressed. She shrugged.

"It was my tower before it ever was his."

"It was never _his_ tower…" Borg said, indigent. He was still half covered in ice but P.I.X.A.L had managed to free him from the shoulders up. She and Zane worked to free him the rest of the way.

"I must say that I don't enjoy being frozen…" the inventor said as they worked. "But it was an ingenious move just the same. Um…how did you know it would work? And how did you know Zane would know what to do?"

P.I.X.A.L turned and gave the Master of Ice a smile.

"Because we make a great team."

He smiled back and nodded his agreement. His face became more serious as he remembered something.

"Mr. E mentioned a bigger plan…I can only assume that he shut down our com-links for a reason…"

"You take out the scrambler, Zane. I will get Borg to a hospital." P.I.X.A.L cut in. He nodded and she told him where to find the security room. He turned to go and then glanced back at her.

"P.I.X.A.L? Please be careful…"

"I will…just as long as you promise to come back to me in one piece."

 _ **90**_

"How did you know we needed help? The com-link was down…" Kai asked. He and Skylor were aboard REX, having been successfully rescued. Nya turned to face her brother.

"After revisiting the S.O.G scans on REX's scanners, we realized that you and Skylor might be a little outnumbered…"

"Maybe just a little," the redhead smirked slightly. They looked out the window where they left Killow and the other goons tied up.

"What's stopping some other S.O.G from freeing them?" Ronin asked.

"Technically nothing…" Misako said. "But we don't really have anywhere to put them. This is the best we can do."

"Is your com-link working? I couldn't get mine to connect," Skylor asked. Nya shook her head.

"Something's scrambling the signal. No doubt the work of the S.O.G. I've been trying different frequencies to try to get it to work, but so far, nothing!"

"So we don't know how anyone else is doing…" Kai summarized. The water Ninja shook her head.

"Let's hope they're doing better than the two of you were," Ronin added. "Not sure why we decided to split up all over the city…"

"The S.O.G were terrorizing the citizens! We couldn't just sit back and let them. Besides, the more thugs we can distract, the less there are guarding Garmadon. That way Lloyd and Wu have a better shot at defeating him." Nya's tone made it clear that this wasn't the first time she'd explained this to Ronin.

The thief opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by sudden static that began emitting from REX's speakers. Suddenly, the static passed and they could make out Jay's voice.

"The com-links are back on!" Misako said.

 _"…West and ninth…..Need help…..DARETH, GET OUT OF THAT SEAT ALREADY…stupid com-link…anyone hear me?! WE NEED HEEEEEELP"_

Everyone in the airship looked over at each other, and Ronin changed course.

 _Zane_

Zane turned from the scrambler, confident that he had shut it down. He tried his com-link.

"P.I.X.A.L?"

" _Yes, Zane?"_

He sighed in relief. "The com-links are back up…did you manage to get Borg to the hospital?"

" _Arriving now. Zane…the S.O.G seem to be moving positions…"_

Zane turned to face the monitors behind him. He noticed that most of the screens seemed focused on the various areas that his friends were supposed to attack. It seemed that Kai and Skylor had managed to incapacitate Killow and his group of thugs…but Jay looked to be in trouble.

"They were watching all our points of attack…they were expecting it…"

 _"Mr. E said that it was a distraction…it is likely they lured us to different points in the city so that we would not be able to get involved with Garmadon's master plan…"_

Zane frowned and tried to connect to Lloyd via com-link.

"Lloyd…Lloyd come in..."

For whatever reason it seemed that connection was still down. That was _not_ a good sign…

"Nya? Can you hear me?"

 _"Loud and clear…I take it you took care of whatever was scrambling our system?"_

"Yes…I'm currently in Borg tower. Jay seems to be…"

"… _in trouble. We're headed there now."_

 _"_ Good. After you secure them, make your way to the top of Borg tower. I will meet you there; we need to regroup…and I can't seem to connect with Lloyd. I am afraid that something has gone wrong with the plan."

" _Ok…see you soon…over and out."_

 _Jay_

Jay had managed to pull his parents out of the bus before the first rocket launchers hit. He turned on his com-link as they fled from the scene.

"Can anyone hear me? Come on... _Somebody!?_ They've blockaded us between north…no, wait, west and ninth…we need help…" he heard yelling and turned and realized that Dareth was still stuck on his laser gun chair—it appeared he was struggling with his seatbelt.

"DARETH, GET OUT OF THAT SEAT ALREADY!" he fired lightening at the rocket-launching thugs who were taking aim at the panicking man in the brown suit. He still hadn't heard anything back from his friends and looked down at his com-link in disgust as he ran to help free Dareth.

"Stupid com-link…can anyone hear me?! _We Need Help!"_

He and Dareth were finally able to get the seatbelt off. Jay shot another bolt of lightning at a few approaching thugs as he and the brown ninja escaped from the laser-gun seat.

"Uh…Jay…I think we have a situation…" Ed called. With the tour bus on fire behind them, he and Edna had started running the other direction, but more thugs were blocking their exit.

Jay looked around, finally looking up.

"Ok, Mom, Dad, this way!" he ran over and used a garbage can to jump up onto a fire escape stairway attached to one of the buildings. He kicked the ladder so that it would drop down to where Dareth was and his parents were headed.

"Keep climbing!" he yelled as his parents and Dareth reached the first floor of the staircase. They headed up the second ladder as something crackled and caught Jay's attention.

"Nya? Is that you?!" he called into his com-link.

 _"We're almost to your position…hold on…"_

A few thugs were closing in on the ladder and Jay pulled it up.

"Oh, no you don't…"

He glanced up to see that Dareth and his parents had made it about halfway up the building. He felt something grab his foot and realized that the S.O.G were using the garbage can to reach him. He kicked the thug in the face and powered up his lightning…only to power back down.

"Metal staircase, Jay…so lightning is a no-go unless I also want to electrocute my parents…" he muttered to himself. He began climbing the staircase; all he could do now was hope that Nya and Ronin made it to them in time.

One of the rocket launchers hit home, and the stairway a floor above the Walker's exploded. Edna and Dareth screamed as they fell off the ladder onto the platform below. Ed's leg got caught in between rungs and soon he was hanging upside down, frantically trying to free himself.

"OH GEE…OH GOSH..."

"DAD!"

Jay leapt up the platforms and scurried up the ladder to his father. He helped him untangle himself and looked down in time to see another rocket launcher pointed up at them.

"Down! Climb _down_ Dad!" he ordered as he pulled out a shurikan and threw it at the rocket launcher. He hadn't really brought that many…he'd run out soon.

 _"Get down!"_

The order came from his com-link and Jay immediately jumped down to the platform with his parents. A few moments later REX breached the apartment building and fired down on the S.O.G.

"You know…I'm getting pretty fond on that airship…" Dareth said as Skylor lowered the rope-ladder.

27


	20. Part 19

Nicki's Story

 _ **91**_

"I'm pretty sure we were supposed to be driving _away_ from the city…" Lou yelled over the motorcycle engine.

"Maybe…but we have a delivery to make and I doubt the postman's gonna be willing to deliver it for us."

They were nearly to the city, but Cole knew that there were at least a few S.O.G on their trail. He tapped his com-link, trying one last time.

"Lloyd? Wu? Can you hear me?"

There was no reply and he groaned in frustration.

"Communications are still down…I have no idea where everyone is…and if we run into any more S.O.G we are going to be in trouble."

He heard the revving of a few motorcycle engines and turned to get a better look at those tailing them.

"We're going to have to lose them, son." Lou pointed out.

"Yeah, Dad….any ideas on how to do that?"

"Well…if we can't lose them, then at least try and find your friends. Didn't any of them have a specific location?"

"Borg tower…I know Zane and Pix were headed there. By now they've probably already sprung Borg…but it's worth a shot. We're going to have to try and stick to back roads though."

"Technically, we are on a delinquent bike with delinquent helmets…that should at least give us the appearance of being bikers rather than rebels…" Lou pointed out, hopefully.

Cole smiled. "I guess we'll have to see…"

They wove through the city streets, making sure to keep their heads down as much as possible and avoid places where it looked like S.O.G were gathering. They passed quite a few injured bikers…Cole figured his friends had been at least partially successful, then. He hoped that they were alright; without the com-links it was hard to know.

They had nearly reached Borg tower when Lou pointed out an airship heading for the top of it.

"REX…that's a good sign, at least." Cole said.

"We aren't the only one's who've noticed…" Lou said, looking behind them. Cole turned and saw that S.O.G did seem to be gathering—probably for an attack on the tower. No doubt the thugs chasing him and his father would catch up soon as well.

"Alright…we need to get to the top of that tower and fast." Cole said, jumping off his bike. Lou followed suit; he was slower without his cane but managed to hurry as the pair went for the doors.

"Locked?!" Cole said in frustration.

"If your friends have control of the building, they probably engaged the security measures…" Lou pointed out. Cole powered up his earth punch and hit the door, knocking it clean off its hinges. His vision blurred a bit and he nearly lost his footing, but his father steadied him.

"I hope there aren't many locked doors…I can't just go punching through all of them…" he said as they hurried inside. Lou turned to look at the S.O.G crowd making its way towards the tower.

"And perhaps it would be better if most of the doors _stay_ locked…"

Cole frowned. "Oops…guess I gave them a way in, too…"

"Son!" Lou called from his position by the elevator. It dinged open, and Cole made his way over. He punched the control panel for the elevator, shorting it out as he joined his father inside.

"What did you do that for?" Lou asked, incredulous.

"So they can't follow us! Cole explained. Lou shook his head.

"You better hope you didn't just break it for _us…"_

 _Keyda_

Keyda strained against the chains, but her power was still having no effect.

"You might as well save your strength…the chains are made of vengstone. It blocks elemental power."

Keyda glared at the pale-haired woman. She, Lloyd and Wu were chained together to one of the large pillars in the temple ground as the one called Garmadon stood in the place the altar had once stood, releasing large amounts of Hate aura. The Ultra Dragon was chained up between two pillars on the opposite side of the temple ground, growling angrily at the Dark Lord.

She closed her eyes, willing her aura to appear as well. It wasn't too late…they could still make the connection. Nothing happened and she strained harder, her face contorted.

"Keyda."

It was Wu, and he sounded tired. She opened her eyes and looked over at him. He gave her a sad smile.

"I'm sorry…but while we are in these bonds…there isn't anything we can do."

Nothing they could do?! She hadn't come all this way just to be defeated now. She needed to get out of these chains…she needed to get out of here. She strained[ against the chains again, yelling in frustration. She had to make sure he was ok.

"The unconquerable Oni spirit…"

It was Garmadon who spoke, his voice quiet. He slowly turned to face them.

"Ever since I aspired to rule Ninjago…I planned on shaping it in my own image. But being brought back like this connected me to my Oni roots…and I realized what my true calling was."

He approached them, glowering down at his brother. "You and our father tried to keep my potential from me…you would have had me turn on my Oni side."

"That's not true…"

"Enough! The Oni side of things has been disregarded for too long. Our father turned his back on those he left behind…he ignored the fact that the Oni had been wronged and abandoned them rather than protect them. It has been my destiny to right that wrong."

"What…what are you talking about?" Lloyd asked. His father turned his gaze to him and Lloyd willed himself not to look away.

"This realm was created to be a coward's refuge for our father...but I will finally be able to give the Oni what they deserve; a realm of their own, free from the dragons forever. I will not only rule Ninjago, I will rule it as an _Oni_ King!"

"You would ruin all our father created? He was no fool…nor was he selfish. Both Oni and Dragon tried to use him…his leaving the first realm was an escape, not an abandonment!"

Garmadon just shook his head and turned away, facing the Ultra Dragon.

"The Power of Oni mixed with the Power of Dragon can create great change….and I expect to make the most of it."

Keyda began thrashing against the chains again.

"And what about the other citizens of Ninjago? You would doom your own people?!" Wu cried out.

"My people? In the form I am now, my _people_ would be the Oni. I'm sure that there will be civilians who survive…on the lowest rungs of power, of course…"

Keyda stopped thrashing and shook her head.

"This is _wrong_ …"

Garmadon looked at her with a patronizing expression.

"Why would you not rejoice at this news? I am making the changes necessary to bring the Oni out of the pitiful existence they were left in…" he chuckled darkly at her glare.

"Have my brother and his students filled your head with dreams? Whatever they promised you…I can help you achieve much greater. My brother and I fought to preserve peace in this realm for years…but the truth is that peace will _always_ be unattainable. This realm is no different than any other…there will always be selfishness, greed, and destruction…there will always be people bent on using the powers of darkness to disrupt it. Face it…you are like me…"

"A monster?" she spat.

"A _realist…_ rather than a dreamer. No matter what solution my brother has found for the first realm…we know that it will never be enough. Peace isn't gained because people chose it…it is gained when people are too _afraid_ to disrupt it. Fear…control…those are the true peace-makers."

Keyda said nothing and Garmadon looked at her closely.

"I sense you see the reason in what I say…but still something holds you back…" he shook his head. "You will help me accomplish it, regardless."

 _ **92**_

"I am glad you all made it…" Zane said as everyone exited REX.

"We don't have a lot of time…we're gonna have S.O.G swarming the place soon…" Jay pointed out.

"Then let's get cracking on a plan already," Kai said. "Has anyone heard back from Lloyd or Wu?"

"Their com-links are not working," Zane said. The others made worried eye-contact.

"Can you at least track where they are?" Nya asked. The nindroid shook his head.

"No…which I can only assume means…"

"…their com-links were destroyed." Nya finished.

"Wait…are we saying what I _think_ we're saying?" Dareth asked, worried.

"They were caught." Kai said, voicing what everyone was thinking. "We should never have let them go in alone!"

"Wait!" Jay said suddenly, and everyone looked over at him. "The Dragon Guardians said they'd be with us…which means we have elemental dragons again!"

"Wait…come again?" Nya looked lost.

"We could just go in there, dragons blazing and save them…" Jay continued.

Skylor shook her head. "If Garmadon and Harumi really have captured them, they aren't going to let them out of their sight. If they see us coming in for any kind of rescue, odds are that they'd kill Lloyd and maybe even the others. Harumi isn't going to risk losing her chance at revenge again…"

"Then what do we do? Sneak in?" Kai asked. "I mean…we did it once, right?"

Zane suddenly turned in alarm.

"They must have breached the front door…I'm picking up two figures in the elevator…"

"Well, why don't we just cut the cable before they get here?" Ronin asked.

"Because…they are already here…" Zane answered, activating his powers. The other ninja did the same, facing the elevator.

They waited in tense silence for a few moments. Then, the elevator dinged and the doors began to open.

Cole took in the scene and immediately threw his hands out.

"DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT IT'S JUST US!"

" _Cole!?_ What are you doing here!?" Kai asked, powering down.

"Ultraviolet found the Samurai X cave…" Cole explained. Jay scoffed.

"Annnd….you got lost on the way to ' _Anywhere But Here'?!"_

"LOOK…I'm sorry, ok? Just lemme talk to Lloyd and I promise I'll go hide under some rock until this is over…" he trailed off as he took in everyone who was in the crowd. And more importantly, who was missing from it. "Wait…where is Lloyd…"

"We…we think he, Wu, and Keyda were captured by Garmadon…" Zane explained. Cole looked distressed.

"It didn't work…just like Garmadon said…"

"Wait, you've been talking to Garmadon too?! Did you even _attempt_ to stay at the Samurai X cave?!" Jay yelled.

" _The good one, Jay._ He talked to me again…in that limbo void place or whatever that was. He told me that Keyda wouldn't be able to make the connection…it has to be Wu and Lloyd…"

"But Lloyd doesn't have any powers!" Dareth pointed out.

"That's why I brought these…" Cole pulled out the Baron's gloves. "We have to get them to him if we want any chance of really beating Garamdon!"

"The Baron's gloves!" Zane exclaimed, at the same time Kai said "where did you get those?!"

"They were in Jay's laundry…"

"Um…anyone care to share how _gloves_ are going to help at all in this situation?" Ronin asked, butting in. The ninja looked over at the rest of the group, who all looked rather confused.

"Long story short, they grant Oni power to whoever wears them…" Kai explained.

"But…isn't that dangerous?" Skylor asked.

"Who knows what that would do to Lloyd!" Nya agreed.

"I know it seems like a long shot, guys, but we don't have a lot of options." Cole argued. "The only way we're going to defeat Garmadon is if Lloyd and Wu are able to connect to him…and one of the connections _has_ to be with Oni magic…"

"Before we go rushing into another half-cooked plan, could you at least explain where this reasoning is coming from?" Ronin asked testily. "I mean…you are literally telling us that Garmadon's good side somehow managed to connect with you and told you that Lloyd needed to wear some gloves to save him…"

"Actually, the gloves were my idea. Garmadon doesn't really know about the gloves…or the Baron…or really anything that's gone down…"

"… _Yeah_ ….and that doesn't sound crazy to anyone else?"

"I did suggest that it could have all just been a dream…." Lou pointed out. Cole glared at him.

"It _wasn't_ a dream, ok?! This is what we have to work with…so unless anyone has any better ideas…"

"Ok, say this is the direction we need to go…Cole, how would we even get the gloves to Lloyd?" Nya asked.

"Like I said…we sneak in…" Kai said.

"We don't have time for that—by the time we come up with a plan of action and get to them it may already be too late." Jay said. "My vote is still elemental dragons!"

"We can't afford to just wing it anymore, people," Ronin said.

"That is true…the S.O.G made it quite clear that Garmadon wants us dead, not captured. If any of us were caught in the attack it could prove fatal." Zane added.

"Oh great, so Lloyd and Wu, the _only people_ who can actually do anything to stop Garmadon, are trapped with no way to actually stop him because we have the key to the whole thing right _here_ and there's no way any of us can even get it to him without someone getting hurt because we're all on the _kill list!"_ Jay yelled.

Cole blinked.

"Wait…"

"What?!" Jay turned to him. "Did you just come up with another brilliant idea?! I hope it's better than the ones you've been having recently, because ever since you decided to jump off that dragon…"

" _I'm_ not on the kill list….I'm on the Nab list." Cole said. Jay blinked.

"Wow, congratulations…" he said, rolling his eyes. Zane caught onto his friend's insinuation, however.

"Cole, the likelihood that would have of working…"

"Don't tell me, I already know the odds aren't good."

"The odds of what? Not gonna lie…you guys lost me…" Dareth said.

Cole swallowed. "If I were to get caught, they'd have to take me to Garmadon; UV said he had some questions…or something. The S.O.G would take me right to where he was…which is also right where Lloyd and the others were being held; that's how we could get him the gloves."

The group immediately voiced their disagreements.

" _NO WAY!"_ Jay yelled. "Honestly, I have to agree with Keyda at this point; you're an _idiot._ "

"I agree, Cole…it's way too risky…" Kai said.

"There's no other way!" Cole argued.

"Maybe if _we_ dressed up like the S.O.G and were the ones that brought him, he'd at least have backup…" Nya tried.

"Garmadon and Harumi are too close to victory at this point. No doubt they're expecting us to pull something like that; with their paranoia they'll see right through it." Skylor said.

"Um…anyone else realizing that the S.O.G have probably made their way up the stairway by now?" Ronin growled, heading for the stair entrance. He opened the door and sure enough, he could hear the thugs coming up the stairs. He turned to the group. "We got to head out….everyone to REX."

Jay pushed Cole towards the airship. "C'mon, boulder-brain…that means you too."

" _GUYS…_ this is it!" he pulled away from Jay. "This is the final battle…I know it's risky but for all we know Garmadon is pulling off his plan right now… isn't that a much bigger risk? For _everyone?"_

"Son." Lou finally spoke. "You said you wanted to get the gloves to your friends…and we did. Enough of this giving yourself up talk; it's time for us to leave. That's what you promised Wu…and that young Oni lady as well."

Cole clenched his jaw as bikers began pounding on the stair doors that Ronin had barricaded.

"If there was any other way …I'd pick it. You think I _want_ to get anywhere near Garmadon?! But what good is staying safe if we lose others in the process?" He shook his head. "I'm not _losing anybody else, OK?"_

"We have to go!" Nya called from REX. Everyone had already boarded; only the ninja and Lou were left on the rooftop as the thudding from the stair-way door grew louder.

"We still aren't going to let you do it, Cole." Jay said, folding his arms. "You're just gonna get yourself killed! Considering how many times you've almost died over the last week, you're luck is bound to run out! _Tell him,_ Zane; he can't argue with a nindroid."

Zane had been processing during the argument and he looked up.

"Jay is right…there is a small percentage that you would make it out of the situation, Cole…" he paused. "But…I also have not found a single other solution to our problem." He turned to the others. "It may be our only way."

"No." Lou folded his arms. "Cole…you'll die. You have to ask yourself if this plan is worth your _life!..."_

"Maybe the plan isn't, dad…but my friends are. Look…I know you don't like it, but this is the right thing to do; I promised that I would always do the right thing…"

Lou pointed a finger at him. " _Do not_ pull that card with me…"

The door behind them was nearly open now.

" _GUYS!"_ Nya called again.

"Last time we left you behind it did _not_ go over well!" Jay said.

"I know…but you guys are just gonna have to trust that this is the best we can do…"

"You realize if Garmadon doesn't kill you, Keyda will, right?!"

"You need to _go…"_

The door broke open.

 _Lloyd_

"Dad...don't do this." Lloyd finally spoke, and Garmadon turned to face him. The green ninja continued. "I know you're still in there! The REAL you…the one who values his family…the one who sacrificed himself just to _save_ Ninjago…"

"Perhaps that part of me did survive the separation at first; but even if it did, it is long gone now." His upper fists glowed with power. " _This_ is all that is left of me! Hatred is the only thing I can EVER feel now,"

"That is impossible." He turned to see Keyda glowering at him. Harumi laughed.

"Do you pretend to know anything about the emperor?"

"I know that true hatred requires affection…if it really was impossible to feel love you wouldn't have any power left." Garmadon was approaching her menacingly, but she continued to glare. "Hate isn't the opposite of love…apathy is."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that the reason this Oni isn't more willing to embrace her heritage and your plan is because she's feeling some of that _affection_ herself…for the ninja." Harumi cooed from a few yards away. Garmadon looked down at Keyda with distain.

"Is that true? You actually _care_ about my brother and his students?"

Keyda finally looked away angrily.

"I didn't know Oni _could_ care about anything." Harumi said, coming closer. "But I don't blame you for falling for their charminglittle performance… sure, the thought of having ninja protectors seems great at first. They make it feel like as long as they're out there, nothing could hurt you. Like they have _everything under control._ But sooner or later, they'll let you down. They make promises that they have no way of keeping…they say things that they cannot follow through on." She tilted her head. "Does that sound familiar?"

Keyda snorted. "Protectors? More like a bunch of idiots." She finally looked up at the pale-haired woman. "I'm not here because I need them….I'm here because they said they needed me. Why is it _you_ needed them?"

"I suppose _we_ needed them to get to this point…but their usefulness to our plans has long worn out. I'm afraid that your little friends…or _idiots,_ as you adequately put…won't be around for much longer."

"Enough." Garmadon growled, and Harumi turned in surprise. "It is time to recreate this realm."

Harumi bowed in acknowledgement and Garmadon frowned at the three chained figures.

"I have no use for my son…you said that _you_ wanted…"

"…the chance at revenge, my lord." Harumi finished.

"Yes…" Garmadon waved a dismissive hand. "Take him, then. I have work to do here…"

Harumi signaled to the few S.O.G guards they had brought. They moved in and forced Lloyd to his feet.

"Garamdon, our father did not create this world just so you could destroy it…" Wu said as they unhooked Lloyd from the rest of the chains. His hands were still bound in front of him as they shoved him towards the exit, where Harumi was already waiting.

"I'm not destroying his realm….I'm merely changing it to become what it was always meant to be."

"You _saved_ this realm, father…don't undo everything you've worked for in the past..." Lloyd called back, pushing back against the guards. They grunted and one kicked him to keep him moving forward.

"I am no longer that man…nor will I ever be again." Garmadon murmured as the doors closed behind the green ninja.

 _ **93**_

"Oni? Are you serious, Harumi?" Lloyd said as the guards continued to prod him down the tunnel. "You told me that you wanted to protect Ninjago because we weren't doing a good enough job; this is the _opposite_ of protecting!"

"This is Emperor Garmadon's realm now, Lloyd…if this is what he wants…"

"You didn't know." Lloyd stopped walking. "He didn't tell you his plan, did he?"

"Oh Lloyd….just because your father wants nothing to do with _you…"_

"How do you know he's going to need you after all this goes down?"

She whirled around, knife in hand.

"No Lloyd… _you're_ the one he doesn't need. That's why he told me that I could kill you myself."

Something suddenly crackled in the former quiet one's ear. She frowned in concentration, plugging one ear. She suddenly smiled slyly, glancing at Lloyd.

"Yes…I'm sure the Emperor will be pleased…but listen, Ultra, I want you to investigate the bikers who brought him in—make sure they are legit. We don't have time for any ninja tricks at the moment. Also, search him…extensively. Then bring him in." She turned to one of the guards.

"Get me a length of vengestone chain…looks like the Emperor's last guest has arrived."

Lloyd felt sick; it was clear that the S.O.G had caught somebody, and if they needed vengestone it was one of the ninja. But which one?"

He didn't have to wonder for long. A minute or so later he could hear Ultra-Violet's cackle echo down the corridor.

"Here you go, boss…caught, wrapped, and delivered. The guys who caught him checked out…they're legit. We found a com-link on him but we destroyed it."

Cole grunted as Ultra-Violet threw him to the ground. He glared at her; he never was sure if she just didn't know her own strength or if she just liked hurting people. Lloyd closed his eyes; Harumi had mentioned that the Samurai X cave had been destroyed; it looked like Cole hadn't escaped after all. Ultra-Violet cackled again and turned to Harumi.

"Want me to bring him to the big boss?"

"No. Lord Garmadon is in the middle of a particular process; I'll go inform the Emperor."

"Whatever you say, boss…"

"I do have a task for you, however; with the Emperor's plan underway it is imperative that we have no ninja interruptions. Have our forces been able to dispose of any of the others?"

"Uh….no…not _yet…_ but they left the city in an aircraft and we're tracking them. They aren't getting out of our sight."

"I want extra reinforcements surrounding the temple; _no one_ gets in, understand?"

Ultra Violet nodded her understanding and headed out, yelling orders at the lackey's that had accompanied her. The guard had returned with the vengestone chain and Harumi wrapped Lloyd and Cole together around one of the pillars in the corridor.

"I need to speak to the emperor…watch them closely till I get back." she ordered the two guards. They nodded and sneered at the two ninja tied to a post. She turned quickly and headed back towards the temple grounds.

Cole and Lloyd sat in silence for a few moments before Lloyd finally spoke.

"Cole…you were supposed to be watching the monitors. How did you not get out of the cave in time?"

"First of all…that wasn't my fault. And second of all, I technically didn't get caught in the cave anyways."

"What do you mean?"

"This is all part of the plan, Lloyd," Cole said in a loud whisper. "If you go down this tunnel and take two rights, there's a secret entrance Zane found…we have help on the way!"

The guards looked at each other and then turned to jeer.

"Nice going, beefcake…guess we should go wait for your friends, huh?" One said as they headed down the hallway. No doubt Harumi would be pleased when she learned they were instrumental in stopping an invasion.

Lloyd looked over at Cole in disbelief.

"Why would you tell…"

"There's no secret entrance, Lloyd…I just wanted to make sure we could talk in private for a second." Cole muttered. He seemed to be trying to remove his gloves.

Lloyd let out his breath. "You _wanted_ to get caught, then? You have a plan for getting us out of here?"

"That's right," Cole said. He had managed to remove one of the gloves.

Lloyd smiled for the first time in hours. "Great! So….you got a key, or maybe you brought some extra dragons from the first realm…"

"Uh….no." Cole had managed to get his other glove off and he looked at them triumphantly. "We have _these."_ He presented the gloves to Lloyd, who just looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Um…gloves? I'm not really following…"

"They're not just gloves, Lloyd; they belonged to this crazy Oni guy we faced in the first realm. They're Oni relics; they have the power of pure hatred in them and allow the wearer to use that power—especially if that owner is _part_ Oni."

"Wait, what? Oni gloves? What….what am I supposed to do with these?" Lloyd asked as Cole handed them to him.

"Look, I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but dumb and dumber are gonna be back anytime now, not to mention Harumi and Garmadon. Keyda wasn't able to connect with Garmadon, because it has to be someone who's close to him…"

"How did you know she couldn't do it?" Lloyd cut in.

"Your Dad told me…"

" _What?!"_

"Your real Dad! The…the sensei version, I guess. He told me that you and Wu are the only ones who can make the connection….but one of those connections has to be with Oni power. Oh…and Lloyd, there's a com-link hidden in one of the gloves; from here on out you are calling the shots. Everyone's on standby waiting for your order to attack…"

"Slow down, Cole…you talked to my _dad?_ My real one? How is that even possible? Wu said he's in that…that limbo place…"

"Well, I had this vision, I guess you could call it. Though to be fair it started off as more of a nightmare…"

"No…that doesn't make sense." Lloyd's voice was sharp and Cole shut up in surprise. The green ninja continued. "If my dad…my _real_ dad was going to send someone a vision…then…it doesn't make sense that he'd send it to _you_ and not... and not..."

"You?" Cole finished. Lloyd nodded, still looking conflicted. They heard a door slam somewhere down the hall, and they both looked up. Cole looked back over at him.

"Put the gloves on…and the com-link; they'll be back soon. Lloyd, your dad would talk to you if he could, ok? He's really worried about you…and the reason I know is because when I first met him I was there _with him_ …in…the limbo void."

Lloyd had pulled the gloves on over his own pair, keeping the com-link inside one of them so it would remain out of sight. He also looked more confused than ever. "What are you talking about? _You_ were in limbo?"

The footsteps grew closer and Cole looked between Lloyd and where the footsteps were heard getting closer.

"I'm sorry…I never was good at explaining things…but it's in your hands now Lloyd… _literally…_ " he whispered.

"But…I don't even know if I can use Oni power…or if I _should…_ " he whispered back.

Cole didn't answer as Garmadon's red eyes appeared at the end of the hall.

 _Ninja_

REX was struggling a little under the weight of everyone packed in her.

"You realize REX was never supposed to carry this many people, right?" Ronin said, irritated. "Also, is there somewhere I'm actually heading…or are we just sort of loitering…"

"We're waiting for word from Lloyd." Nya said. She had a com-link in and was trying to listen. "They've reached the temple…man, Ultra Violet never stops _talking…_ and her voice is sooo annoying…"

"Should we come up with a game plan for if Cole never actually meets up with Lloyd?" Kai asked. "Because that's actually a possibility…"

"Maybe Cole could just use the gloves to blast out of there at that point." Jay said hopefully.

"Perhaps, though I think that to truly control the power of pure hatred, one would need to be at least part Oni…" Zane said.

"Ok…he's in…" Nya said, filling them in on the conversations she was listening in on. She made a face. "There's Harumi…"

"Do you hear Lloyd?" Skylor wondered. Nya shook her head.

Lou sat near Ed and Edna in the back of the airship, feeling useless once again. Ed patted his back.

"I know it isn't easy, Lou...but I'm sure they know what they're doing. If nothing else, these ninja are good at getting themselves out of pickles."

 _Easy for you to say…_ Lou wanted to snap. Ed's son was safe and sound on an airship, miles away from trouble. It was times like this the performer couldn't help wondering what life would have been like if Cole had just stuck with singing and dancing; Lou knew he had it in him. Well…with dancing at least. And dancers never had to go on poorly-thought out missions with small chances of success against murderous villains. Maybe if he hadn't pushed so hard, Cole would have been more willing to follow that career choice…

He knew it was useless to think about it now; fate had made her will known. He just had to hope that his son would pull through one more time…

"He's with Lloyd…he's explaining the plan." Nya said. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "He got him the gloves."

"So now what?" Ronin asked.

Nya didn't answer, still listening in on the conversation. Kai turned to the thief.

"Now we wait for Lloyd's command."

 _ **94**_

Keyda's hair whipped around her; Garmadon's aura was getting stronger, and wind was picking up. She fought against the chains once again, and then turned to glare at Wu next to her.

"Have you given up already?!" she hissed. He shook his head.

"Of course not…but you will only wear yourself out straining against the chains…"

She continued straining anyways. "What do you suggest, then?" she asked.

"Keyda…"

"I…have…to get out of here…" she said. Her arms were raw where the chains were digging in.

"You're just hurting yourself…you need to relax."

"And what? Wait for rescue?" she writhed, trying to wiggle out of the chains. "You heard the pale-haired lady…she said that your friends are being tracked by her forces…we're on our own…" she yelled out in frustration. " _Your plan was supposed to work!_ Why couldn't I do it?!" She sagged suddenly. "…Why couldn't I do it?"

"It's not your fault, Keyda, it's mine." Wu said softly. "I couldn't see any other way of bringing my brother back…but I should have known that you didn't have the personal connection to complete the aura link with Garmadon."

"So…what? You're saying it's not even possible?" she asked. She had stopped struggling.

"It is possible for us to get out of here…but we may have to be patient." Wu said. He looked over with concern at the Ultra-Dragon, who was snapping as it tried to move further away from the large spiraling cloud of aura amassing in the center of the area.

Garmadon opened his eyes and turned to the guards waiting by the doors.

"The Vengestone chains are interrupting the link…" he called. "Free the prisoners…"

"Um…are you sure you wanna…"

" _NOW!"_

The guards jumped to action, rushing over to unlock the two figures on the pillars.

As the chains fell off, Keyda immediately threw an orb and knocked the guard across the area. She turned to Garmadon, hands swirling.

Wu stood as well, unsure of what Garmadon's plan was. His Dark brother gave them both a chilling smile.

Keyda looked down and realized that her aura was being sucked into the swirling mass. She powered down and began backing up. Wu too seemed to be retreating backwards, eyes on Garmadon.

"The connection to the first realm is almost complete, brother. All that I need now is the power of both dragon and Oni for the change to be completed…"

Keyda felt some kind of inner tug; she realized in shock that the mass was pulling the aura _out_ of her. He retreat slowed as the connection seemed to be pulling her towards the purple storm.

Wu was having a similar problem next to her, his own aura having formed a golden rope that dragged him towards the middle.

Garmadon chuckled cruelly as he watched them struggle. He had walked away from mass, seemingly unaffected by it.

"You did come here to make a connection, did you not?"

Keyda yelled out in anger, digging her heels in as she tried to wrench away. Wu was trying to cut off his connection through his own meditation, but nothing was working.

"I am glad that you came, Wu. With you dead, I was going to have to rely on my son and whatever dragon power dregs were left within him…and with no Oni in this realm I would have had to make do with the power left in the ancient masks. But my forces not only were incapable of capturing my powerless son…they lost the masks as well. Imagine my pleasure in finding out that you were alive and returning…"

"And how, exactly, did you come to realize that?" Wu asked through grated teeth.

The doors flew open as Harumi pushed her way out into the arena. Garmadon turned to her.

"Is it finished?"

Her pale hair whipped around as she tried to walk over to his side.

"Nearly, your lordship…but I actually came to inform you that our forces captured one of the ninja…the one you wanted to talk with."

He blinked slowly.

"The Master of Earth." he stated. Harumi nodded as Wu looked over with an expression of disbelief and concern. Keyda was too busy screaming and thrashing against her own aura chain to be listening to the two villains.

"I can hold him until you are done here, if you wish…" Harumi suggested. Garmadon shook his head.

"I _am_ done here…there is nothing left to do but wait. Once enough of their aura is absorbed, the portal will be ready." He turned to Harumi. "The temple is protected?"

"Our forces have it surrounded."

He nodded. "Then it's time for me to get a few answers."

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd's palms were sweaty under the gloves. Despite all that Cole had made them out to be, they didn't _feel_ any different than any other gloves he had worn. The com-link was nestled in his left palm; he wouldn't be able to hear anything his friends tried to tell them, but at least they would be able to hear him.

"You left them alone?" Garmadon asked, clearly displeased. Harumi looked around.

"Of course not, emperor…I left them well guarded…" she shook her head. "The guards _will_ be punished…"

Garmadon gave her a look and she stopped talking.

"I will leave you here to finish my son…but where can I go to have a _private_ conversation?"

Lloyd felt Cole shudder next to him and glanced at his friend. He was wearing a deadpan expression…but the green ninja could see that the Master of Earth was terrified. He looked down at the gloves again and willed himself to feel something, _anything._

 _If these are full of Oni power…why can't I feel anything? What if…what if Cole gave me the wrong gloves?!_

"This tunnel system is extensive…it should be simple to find some remote corner." Harumi explained as she unchained the two ninja. She turned and handed the chain to Garmadon. "You should take the vengestone with you...I certainly don't need it to subdue the _powerless._ "

Garmadon looked at Cole with contempt. "Based on the state he's in…he doesn't look like he would be much of a threat, even without the chain. However, I will bring it just in case." He took the chain in one hand, and with a sword in another he prodded Cole forward down the hall. The Master of Earth gave on last glance towards Lloyd and the green ninja caught unto the meaning in his expression. It was up to him now.

As he watched them disappear into the darkness, he felt a knife point against his own back. Harumi leaned in close.

"So sorry for the interruption, Lloyd…but now it seems like we have some alone time at last…"

 _Wu_

The Ultra-Dragon roared in warning as Wu continued to approach the mass. He could feel himself weakening as more of his aura was pulled into the abyss-like power orb.

"Why….can't….we….get out of this?" Keyda yelled. Her fists swirled with hatred as she tried to blast her aura link.

"STOP, Keyda, Don't!" Wu yelled back. "You're only feeding it faster! You must remain as calm as possible!"

" _CALM!?_ How are _you_ so calm!?" She pulled at the aura chain; how was it so _physical?_ "We're about to get sucked into a deadly void…which will bring the Oni here…" she grunted and yanked back, but nothing seemed to work. "And if the Oni come here, Wu…they'll never leave. I mean… _I_ don't want to leave…" her voice had toned down, though she didn't stop fighting against the pull. She was silent for a few moments, and then looked over at him.

"The pale-haired lady said that your desert base was destroyed…how many desert bases do you have?"

Wu swallowed as he tried to take even a few steps backwards. "Just the one."

"So…that means…"

"The Samurai X cave was destroyed, Keyda. They found it."

She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Do you think he got out ok? You left him a way to escape, if it came to that….do you think he's _safe?"_

Wu looked over at Keyda, who seemed both worried and hopeful. She hadn't caught on to Garmadon and Harumi's earlier conversation. He opened his mouth to answer her, but his words caught in his throat. What could he say?

Her eyes locked onto his and he could see how scared she was. How much she wanted at least one thing in their situation to not be hopeless.

"He's ok…right?" she stumbled a bit; being stripped of her aura was taking its toll.

He looked away, swallowing. "I…I have to have faith that he is, Keyda. That we all will be."

 _ **95**_

Cole fell forward, and with his hands still tied he couldn't catch himself. He hit the ground and winced at the fresh pain in his shoulder.

"I suppose this is good enough…" Garmadon said. Cole struggled to push himself upright. He had no idea where he was….there were so many twists and turns in this labyrinth that he wasn't sure he could get back to Lloyd even if he was free to do so. He turned to face Garamdon and felt a flash of fear. The only light in this part of the tunnel was the purple light emitted from Garmadon's aura; that mixed with his crimson eyes was downright terrifying.

"So…I guess now I get to know why I had to pleasure of being on the nab list, huh?" Cole asked, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He didn't want to give Garmadon the satisfaction.

The Dark Emperor pointed the sword at him.

"When did you see him last?"

Cole blinked.

"What? See who?"

In one swift movement Garmadon used one of his upper arms to grab Cole by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall. Cole cried out in both surprise and pain.

"I know you were in the limbo-void with the rest of my soul." Garmadon's voice was dangerously low. "And yet, here you are out of it. I need to know how you got there, how you managed to escape, and when you last saw the rest of me…"

 _That_ is what this was all about? How did Garmadon even know?

Garmadon hit him against the wall again. "How did you get there? How did you find the rest of my soul?"

Cole answered through gritted teeth.

"I…don't…know..."

"Now is not the time to play stupid," Garmadon warned. The sword inched closer.

"I really don't…one minute I was facing some bad guy …then I was in the limbo. I don't know how I got there."

"Is my soul still alive?"

Cole thought back to his vision; in truth it was only a few hours ago…so he hoped that good Garmadon was still kicking. But at the same time he remembered how harrowed Lloyd's father looked; he certainly didn't _look_ like he was going to last much longer.

"I don't know…"

" _How did you escape?"_

 _"I don't know!"_

Garmadon yelled in frustration, throwing Cole hard into another wall. He yelled as he felt something crack before bouncing off the wall and landing on his hands and knees. He didn't even have time to think about the pain because Garmadon was right there again, hands purple with hatred.

"I don't have time for your misguided defiance…I need answers, even if I have to wring them out of you,"

"I'm…not trying to be defiant…I'm telling you…I really don't know…" Cole gasped, holding his side with one arm.

Garmadon pressed the sword tip to his neck. "Then tell me what you _do_ know…every detail your miserable brain remembers."

Cole swallowed, trying to decide how much he should say. He wanted to buy Lloyd as much time as possible to figure out how to use the gloves…and he also wanted there to be something left of him for Lloyd to rescue as well.

"There was…this Baron. In the first realm. He was an Oni. I know that he had something to do with me ending up in Limbo but I don't know what he did or how he did it. And while I was in there Garmadon…uh…you…found me."

"Yes…and you told me all about how you were trapped in the first realm…"

Cole looked up in surprise.

"You…you could hear that?"

"Yes, fool, I could hear you. Connecting to lost bits of soul takes an extreme amount of concentration, but I needed to make sure that I was rid of him. However, that part of me continued to linger far longer than it should have. Which leads us to the last question: how did you escape?"

"I just…woke up…"

Garamdon peered down at him with unblinking eyes.

"You're lying."

"I told you, I don't know _how…"_ Garmadon back-handed him across the face, cutting him off.

"You don't just _wake up_ from limbo…something has to connect to you; pull you out. I can only assume my brother had something to do with it; he connected to me earlier. He probably foolishly believed that I could be so easily saved…"

"If you already knew…why ask me?" Cole muttered.

"Because he wouldn't have been able to do it, just himself…but who else would have been able to…" Suddenly Garmadon trailed off, having finally made the connection. He looked back at the ninja on the floor.

"The Oni girl; that's her role in all of this. She was able to save you, so my brother thought she could save me as well…" the expression on Cole's face was all the answer he needed.

"Then Wu's plan has truly failed…she cannot connect to me. There is _no_ way for the rest of me to return." Garmadon sounded relieved and he turned to sneer at the Master of Earth. "If she was able to form a personal connection…you must have been close."

Cole didn't say anything, choosing instead to just stare at the ground.

"Perhaps it wasn't _all_ of my brother's students that kept her from joining me…perhaps it was just her affection for one of them…"

He kicked Cole up against a nearby railing as he continued.

"I was just going to kill you…or send you back to limbo if I could figure out a way how; if the rest of my soul is still around, it would send quite the message." Cole tried to move but Garmadon whipped the vengestone chain around him, once again locking him in place. "But now that I know there is no way for him to return, there is no need. Besides…after using her to bring the rest of the Oni here, the girl may still prove useful. Thus, _you_ might still prove useful."

Cole struggled against the chain; he was tired of being beaten up and locked up. He suddenly realized that this must be how Lloyd felt.

"Speaking of which…the portal will be nearly completed at this point. I'll come back for you later…if I remember." He hit Cole over the head with the hilt of his sword and the Master of Earth slumped forward. Garmadon deftly cut off a scrap of his black collar and then turned to leave. It was time to fulfill his destiny.

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd swallowed. "Are you going to stab me in the back? Haven't you already done that?"

"Still bitter about that, I see..." she walked in front of him, knife still pointed threateningly. "Do you have any idea how frustrating it is…having my revenge unravel one string at a time? Your many escapes…the fact that your friends _survived…_ "

"What are you waiting for, then?" Lloyd asked. His hands were buzzing.

"You know, I always envisioned your father killing you…and I think he still would, if I could only convince him that you were worth the trouble. But unfortunately he seems to think you aren't even worth _that_ anymore, Lloyd." She used the tip of her knife to fiddle with the collar of his gi. "I know you used to be the only thing in his life that he cared about...the most important thing in his world. What is it like to go from that to being nothing? No… _less_ than nothing. It's like you don't even exist to him…"

"What is it you _want_ me to say?" Lloyd's voice was hard. His fists buzzed harder. "What is it you want to hear before you kill me, Harumi? _What is it that you're waiting for_?"

She didn't look at him, her knife tracing the designs on the green fabric.

"I don't know, Lloyd…is there something you'd _like_ to say?"

Garmadon's voice suddenly echoed through the caverns. Lloyd couldn't tell what was being said, but it was clear that his father was yelling.

"Oh…these caverns…" Harumi murmured as she looked over in the direction Garmadon had gone. "You could hear a pin drop. Sounds like the questioning isn't really going in your friend's favor, huh? Isn't it a pity that all your little ninja survived death only to come back and get destroyed?"

Something sparked on the gloves, but Harumi didn't notice. She was looking at Lloyd now, taking in the clenched jaw and the furrowed brow. They heard more shouting and the echo of a thud. Lloyd winced at the sound of Cole's pained yell.

"Just think… a few tunnels away your father is killing him…" she tapped the knife against his chest. "And once again you're totally _powerless_ to stop it." She glanced down at his clenched fists. "Not that you've ever been very good at protecting people…"

"Look, I'm _sorry_ that you lost your parents, Rumi…I'm sorry that the Great Devourer destroyed your home and your childhood… but do you think you're the only one who's ever _lost_ anything?" His voice grew louder as he talked. The knife bit into his skin as she went to say something, but he cut her off.

"I didn't have my parents around growing up either. Come to think of it, neither did half of my friends. You made it clear what you think about me and my friends…you think we're weak, childish…but we know just as much about grief as you do, Harumi. The difference between us isn't that you're strong and we're weak…it's that we turned outwards. We actually tried to make the world a better place, but you…you turned inwards and found yourself on a much more destructive path…"

The knife bit in harder as Harumi fumed at him. "Don't you _dare_ compare your loss to mine…it's _your fault_ that my parents are dead! And I've come closer to fixing the world than you ever have…"

"By destroying it?! Don't you realize how many people will _suffer_ because of your choices? Do you really think that this making _anything_ better?" The buzzing was getting harder to fight off, and Lloyd blinked, trying to control the feelings that seemed to be building up within.

She was furious now; she screamed and pulled her hand back in order to send the knife plunging into his chest, but his hands shot up and caught hers just before the knife made impact. In one smooth motion he used her knife to cut through the bonds around his wrists. He jumped back as she yanked the knife away, stumbling backwards herself.

"You really should have killed me earlier…" Lloyd said. Harumi screamed again and launched towards him. He dodged the knife lunge, which unbalanced her. He kicked her away as she swiped again. The knife ripped into his pant leg but didn't break skin.

"You have nothing Lloyd, _nothing!_ There's nowhere for you to run…there are guards surrounding this temple…and your father is only a few tunnels away. Do you think that you can defeat us both, as weak and powerless as you are?!"

Lloyd dodged a few more swipes, mainly staying on the defensive. The anger and resentment that was building up inside was becoming harder to keep at bay.

"No… _you have_ nothing…" he dodged again. "You could have had friends, Rumi…and a family…but you are the one who chose to have _nothing."_

"I don't need friends…or a family. I have your father, don't I?"

"For as long as you remain useful." He ducked and then grabbed her arm, swinging her away from him and into the wall. "Face it, Harumi…it's like you said yourself; I was one of the only things he cared about. If he doesn't care about me now…he doesn't care about _anything…_ least of all you…"

" _I FREED HIM,"_ she screamed. "He _needs me!"_ She charged again and swiped her knife at his arms, legs, neck….anything she could. He dodged again and again, finally grabbing her wrist and wrenching the knife out of it. He kicked her away from him and chucked the knife down the tunnel. She glared and raised her fists; she wasn't going to let him get away from her this time.

"You're wrong about that. Just like you're wrong about me being powerless…" His eyes flashed purple and Harumi blinked in surprise, taking a step backwards. He continued. "Last I checked… _you're_ the one who has no power. There's no mask of hatred…no Garmadon at your side…no allies…just a little girl who took on more than she could handle." He had been approaching her, and she stood her ground. Suddenly, he stopped, face contorting like he was fighting something inside.

"I…didn't want to use this power…" he said. Harumi shook her head, not sure what was going on. All she knew was that it was time to destroy him once and for all, and he seemed distracted. She pulled a smaller dagger out of her boot and went in for the kill. He grabbed her arm, facing her. She shrank back when she saw the expression on his face. She had seen him angry, betrayed…but this…this was _hatred_. His eyes had stopped flashing…now they just _were_ purple. She also noticed the aura swirling around his other hand.

"What…how did you…" she looked from his hand back to his face, but he just shook his head patronizingly.

"I don't _want_ to use this power…but you've forced my hand. There is no other way…no other option to stop you and my father once and for all. This time, I'm _not_ going to watch helplessly from the sidelines." His grip on her wrist was becoming almost unbearable and she was forced to drop the dagger.

"You targeted my family…my mom, dad, uncle, brothers…you have brought doom to ninjago, hurt countless citizens…and I can't help feel like maybe it's _my_ turn for revenge." He raised his glowing hand.

26


	21. Part 20

Nicki's Story

 _WE HAVE REACHED THE HUNDREDTH CHAPTER! We just want to thank everyone who has read this far and enjoyed! It has been a pleasure to read all the wonderful reviews and we just can't thank you guys enough! We have around 20 to 30 chapters left so we are almost there!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **96**_

"Everybody….quiet!" Nya yelled suddenly. Everyone in REX hushed and looked at the water ninja, unsure if she was getting the command to move in via her com-link. She shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Something's wrong with Lloyd…I've…I've never heard him sound like this before…"

"Does he want us to come in?" Kai asked, just as Jay said "Is he ok? Did Harumi hurt him?"

"No…it's not that…" she looked up, concerned. "Guys, he sounds…like his Dad. I think he's going to kill Harumi!"

"What?" Misako asked, immediately concerned. "That doesn't sound like Lloyd at all…"

"Well…didn't you give him gloves full of dark power? What'd you expect?" Ronin asked from the pilot's seat. There was a touch of concern under his gruff tone.

"We wore the Oni masks…" Skylor pointed out. "They didn't have that kind of effect on us…"

"It is possible that the gloves have tapped into Lloyd's Oni side, making him act in ways that he would not otherwise as they tap into his potential for True Hatred…" Zane noted, concerned.

"We need to get in there." Nya said suddenly.

"I thought we were supposed to…" Ronin started, but Kai cut him off.

"Look, if Lloyd is going AWOL, we need to get in there to pull him back out of it. The way Nya's describing him, he may just as soon attack his father as he would try to save him."

"The ninja are right...my son has already been through so much. You cannot let him become like his father…" Misako argued.

"Time to get back to the action!" Jay agreed, sounding both nervous and excited. "Also…time to see if we really can connect with our energy dragons…"

"You sure you don't want me to just land? A lot less life threatening to try to make a dragon from the ground than from jumping out of a ship…" Ronin pointed out.

Zane shook his head. "The S.O.G are tracking us; though they aren't close enough to have eyes on us, if they found out we landed they will realize that not all of us are on the ship…"

"So you want REX to be the red herring while the rest of you storm the temple," Ronin translated.

"You got it." Kai said, heading for REX's side door. "Anyone mind if I go first?"

"Perhaps it would be best to at least wear a parachute, Kai, just in case…" Zane pointed out. The red ninja rolled his eyes.

"Fiiine, mom, I'll put on a parachute." Ed handed him one and he slung it over both shoulders. He turned back to the open door. After closing his eyes and letting out a breath, he leapt out of it.

"Woooo! _C'MON!"_ he yelled as he fell. He summoned his elemental dragon, and a few moments went by with nothing. He felt a thread of panic. " _C'mon…."_

Suddenly flames erupted beneath him and he landed on the back of a red dragon. He punched his fists into the air.

" _OH YEAH!"_

Jay leapt out of the aircraft next, followed by Zane and then Nya. Soon each of their dragons were gliding through the air alongside REX

"I can't believe it!" Nya cried. She had forgotten how much she missed riding on her elemental dragon.

"Looks like they have our backs after all!" Jay yelled.

Kai flew his dragon up close to REX, and Skylor jumped off onto the back of it. He looked up at Ronin.

"We'll keep in touch via com-link…just try to keep those S.O.G as far away from the temple as you can, Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, how about you go do your job and I'll do mine, firebrand?" Ronin called back.

The Walker's waved from the window.

"Be safe Jay! After this is all over…you really need to bring all your friends around for dinner!" Enda called. Jay rolled his eyes a little.

"OK mom!"

Lou limped his way over to the door as well. He swallowed as he watched the teens start to fly away over the desert.

"Find my son." he said softly.

 _Harumi_

Harumi's eyes flicked between Lloyd's face to his glowing hand as she tried not to react to the pain in her wrist.

"Now…this is a surprise…" she murmured, a slight tremor in her voice. "Picked up a few new tricks, have we?"

"What's wrong, Harumi? Was this not part of your plan?" his voice was low, taunting. She swallowed; he hadn't ever talked to her like this. She tried to pull off a blithe smile.

"Are you going to kill me, Lloyd?" She managed a teasing tone.

"You don't think I can?"

She glanced back at his hand, which was glowing brighter. Her mouth was dry as she continued. "I suppose I just never thought you _would…._ despite everything, I know you still have feelings for me."

She gasped as the pressure on her wrist grew tighter, but then it relaxed slightly as the look of hatred flickered on his face; he was fighting himself again. "How do you figure that?"

She shrugged slightly. "It's like your little Oni friend said…you can't have hate without affection, right? I KNOW you still care…"

The blast threw her backwards and she hit the wall hard.

"Not anymore."

She pushed herself up on her hands and knees and looked at him. She took in his profile…the glowing hands which illuminated the look of loathing. She laughed to hide the fact that she was trembling.

He approached slowly, the purple light causing shadows that danced on the walls. For the first time, Harumi actually saw a resemblance to his father.

"Something funny?" he asked, purple eyes flashing. She had managed to make it back to her feet as he drew closer.

"You asked me what I've been waiting for…" she gestured to him. " _THIS_ , Lloyd….this is what I've been waiting for." He had nearly reached her, and she resisted the urge to take a step backwards. "You swore you'd never become a monster like me…or your father…but just look at you now. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I finally broke through your 'infallible green ninja' façade and got to the _real_ you."

Lloyd yelled out and charged her. She spun out of the way, darting down one of the tunnels. He ran after her, catching glimpses of her pale hair in the light of his glowing fists. He tried to blast her, but he missed again and again. His eyes flashed in frustration, and he finally chose to blast the ceiling further down the hall. Harumi screamed as the tunnel roof collapsed; she was forced to jump backwards to avoid the tumbling debris that now blocked her escape route. She turned, desperate to find another exit, but a blast finally hit home and she screamed again as she smashed into another wall. She panted, looking up slowly. Lloyd loomed above her, aiming one hand for a point-blank hit. His hand shook…he was still fighting it. She glared defiantly as she trembled.

"Go ahead Lloyd…" she said quietly. "Prove me right."

His face contorted, his hand shaking harder. She shook her head, the fear fading as she realized that he didn't have it in him after all.

"Aren't you tired of fighting? Fighting me, your father, your destiny..." She began inching away from his hand. " _Stop_ fighting, Lloyd. Just give into it; the Oni side is in you, just as it is in your father… _this is who you are."_

 _"No."_ His eyes closed as the battle within himself became harder to contain.

Harumi had stood, and the purple light glinted off of the knife she had regained during her escape run. She had also recovered her composed demeanor.

"That's your problem, Lloyd…you just wont accept who you are… _what_ you are. And so you will forever remain a lost little boy, stuck in the in-between."

He gasped as his eyes flashed again and again. He looked at her and caught sight of the knife.

"Then…why haven't you just killed me Harumi? You've had…multiple…opportunities."

"I just wanted the moment to be right…I've waited a long time, you know." She ran a finger along the blunt side of her knife, still watching to see how his internal battle would turn out.

"So say this time you actually do it…what next?" He forced himself to lower his arm a little.

She raised an eyebrow.

"After you kill me, Harumi…what do you have left?"

She looked away from him, staring at her reflection in her knife. "Hunting down your friends…I suppose…"

"And _then_ what?" The purple flashes were less frequent now. "What do you have besides revenge, Harumi? What will happen to you once you don't have any more scores to settle?"

Her eyes hardened as her grip on her knife became more determined. His face began to relax, the purple power at his fists dimming.

"That's why you hesitate, isn't it? Every time you have me, you wait…it's because the second you lose _me_ …you lose your purpose…"

"You always did overestimate your importance…." her eyes glinted dangerously. "To your father…to the world…to _me…"_ She launched towards him but he dodged each of her attempts to stab him.

"I know you hate me Harumi…you hate me because to you, I'm the reason behind your unhappiness. Behind your loss…"

" _YOU ARE!"_

 _"_ I was a _ten year old kid_ , Harumi….my friends and I did all we could…"

She screamed out as the knife blade cut the air again and again, never quite striking her target. Memories came unbidden to her mind, fueling her hatred.

"...we couldn't beat the great devourer. That's true. But we didn't kill your parents."

Sparks flew out as the knife connected with the stone wall.

"You hate me now….but I suppose you must have cared about me then. Trusted in me; that's why you blame me so much. After all…" he dodged another swipe as Harumi shrieked in annoyance. "….true hate can only be accomplished with affection, right?"

" _You're the reason they're gone! And I won't have avenged them till you are dead!"_

 _"_ Is this the life they would have wanted for you? Would your parents be proud if they could see you now?"

 _"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS!"_

Lloyd sidestepped, the light from his gloves nearly gone. Soon it was impossible for Harumi to even see where he was, and she spun in near-hysteria, trying in vain to hit him. He couldn't escape…not again. All that mattered was her revenge; it didn't matter what came after it. The knife collided with walls and pillars, shooting more sparks. She tripped on a boulder; part of the crumbled tunnel roof. As she hit the ground, she lost her grip on her knife and she listened to it skid down the hallway. She panted in the sudden silence, realizing that Lloyd probably wasn't even in the pitch-dark hallway anymore. Tears were coursing down her cheeks. She couldn't remember the last time she had cried.

" _You can't escape Lloyd! At the end of all of this, either you or I will be dead…you cannot escape that!"_

"No."

Purple light flickered nearby, and she turned to see Lloyd looking at her. All traces of Hatred in his expression were gone now…replaced by pity. She glowered through her tears, still on the ground.

"I'm not going to kill you, Rumi. But that doesn't mean that you'll be victorious. It's time to let go of the Hatred…you're destroying _yourself."_

She launched at him with nothing but her bare hands. He dodged the punch, grabbing her arm and whipping it behind her. In seconds he had bound her wrists behind her with the rope he had left to find.

" _Noooo…"_ she wailed, fighting him as he bound her.

"I can't do anything with you right now…I have to go find Cole and make sure he's alright. But maybe while you wait here, you can think about what we talked about." He finished the knot, and then attached her to a pillar. "These sure are handy for locking people up, aren't they?" he said, dryly. Then he stood. She glared at him in disgust and hatred.

"Goodbye, Rumi." The light winked out, and he was gone.

 _ **97**_

"At this point…I should just build a summer home here or something." Cole muttered as he stared—once again—at the grey expanse. Was he really here? Or was it another vision? Or…nightmare? But something was missing…

"Garmadon?" he called, but his voice echoed in the nothingness, and there was no sign of Lloyd's father. He tried to move, but walking was a hard feat to accomplish when one is floating in limbo. He finally gave up any semblance of normal movement and moved his arms and legs in a swim-like manner.

" _Garmadon?!"_ He felt a stab of panic. Had he faded already? He looked around, trying to catch any glimpse of Lloyd's father. He stopped flailing; it really was getting him nowhere.

"You can't be gone…we _need_ you…if you're gone there's no stopping your evil self!" He looked around again, and this time he saw a glimmer of something in the distance. He hurried to get to it, his swimming motions finally bringing him close enough. He sighed in relief as he saw that it was, indeed, Sensei Garmadon. He appeared to have fallen asleep, and he looked almost blurry around the edges. Cole tried to grab him to shake him awake, but his hands went right through him.

 _I cannot be saved through physical means…_

"Wake up, Garmadon…WAKE UP!" Cole shouted. His heart was pounding, but he felt a flash of hope as the older man's face stirred.

" _GET UP!_ You can't fade...you have to hang in there!"

He threw his hands through him, annoyed that he couldn't actually touch him in any way to wake him up. If Garmadon faded before Lloyd and Wu could get to him, then it was game over.

" _C'MON! LLOYD NEEDS YOU!"_

Garmadon's eyes flew open, meeting Cole's for an instant before the earth ninja was once again ripped back to reality.

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd crept down the hallway. Was this the way his father had gone? It was hard to tell in the dark, but he didn't dare light up his gloves too brightly for fear that somebody would see him. Or worse, the gloves would try to take him over again.

It was strange…the power that rushed through him had felt both freeing and binding at the same time. He had faced many villains, and he'd even go so far to say he despised some of them. But that feeling of total _Hatred?_ He couldn't remember ever feeling like that in his life.

He tried to think of what he would do if he ran into his father. Though he had beat Harumi, the battle had taken a lot out of him; especially since he had to fight _himself_ the entire time.

 _Maybe these gloves weren't the best idea…_

He stopped walking. It was pointless for him to wander around in the tunnels; he could get stuck down here forever. How was he ever going to find his friend?

"…. _Cole?"_ he whispered, hoping he was close enough for the ninja to hear him. " _Are you here?"_

There was no answer. Lloyd's mouth was dry; what if his father had actually killed him?

"Cole? _"_ He gave up whispering, talking out loud as he forced his gloves to emit more power so he could see. He caught something glint in the distance. Could it be the small gold flecked links of vengestone chain?

He ran towards the gleam, and he sighed in relief when he saw that it was indeed his friend, chained up to a metal railing.

"Cole… _Cole…"_ Lloyd shook him gently, trying to wake him up. The Earth Ninja woke suddenly with a gasp, as if coming up for air. He blinked in the darkness, probably trying to get a grasp on where he was.

"Are you alright?" Lloyd asked, and Cole looked over at him, eyes finally focusing. "Did my father hurt you?"

"Your father? No, he's…" Cole trailed off as he realized that Lloyd was talking about his run in with the dark Garmadon. "Oh…well, it wasn't a pleasant conversation, but believe it or not it was probably the least-painful thrashing I've had all week." He talked as Lloyd used his powers to break through the lock on the chain. "But Lloyd…we have to work fast."

"What do you mean?"

"I just saw your dad again…I mean, your _real_ dad…the good one…"

"Again? _How?_ "

"I don't know…but the fact is, your dad's fading, Lloyd."

Nausea lurched in the green ninja's stomach. "What?"

"People can't last in that limbo place…I had only been in there for less than a day when I started to fade. Your Dad's been in there for two weeks and I don't think he's going to be able to hang on much longer."

Lloyd swallowed and nodded. He looked down at the gloves. Cole seemed to realize for the first time that there was purple light emanating from them.

"You figured them out!" he said, sounding relieved. "We're one step closer, then."

"I guess…" Lloyd said, still looking at the gloves. Cole looked at him, concerned.

"Lloyd…are _you_ ok?"

Lloyd opened his mouth, wanting to tell his friend that this was a bad idea. That the gloves _did_ something to him when he tried to use them against others. That they unlocked feelings within him that frightened him because he didn't know where they came from. But then he thought of his real father, fading away in some limbo world, and shut his mouth.

Lloyd clenched his fists and turned towards the ninja in black. "I'm fine. Let's do this."

 _P.I.X.A.L_

P.I.X.A.L's com-link buzzed, and she turned from Borg's hospital bed to take the call.

" _P.I.X.A.L…is Borg alright? Did you find a hospital?"_

"Zane," P.I.X.A.L smiled. "Yes…he is situated now. The doctors said that he is going to be alright…he did a good job cauterizing the wound. He will probably be here for a few weeks…as long as everything goes alright…battle wise." She explained.

 _"I am relieved to hear that. P.I.X.A.L, we are headed to the Temple of Resurrection. We could use your help, if you can spare it."_

P.I.X.A.L turned and looked at Borg. He caught her glance and assumed its meaning.

"By all means, P.I.X.A.L, get out there and help your friends! Don't worry about me…you can always come back and visit once you get rid of the Garmadon threat once and for all."

"I'll meet you there, Zane…" she said, turning off her com-link. She turned to face her creator.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…shoo! Go save the world!" He replied, waving his hands. She shook her head, smiling. She turned to leave as Borg cleared his throat, and P.I.X.A.L turned back, quizzical.

"It's not true…what that red nindroid said back in the tower. If you were truly a static program, you'd still be giving tours for Borg Industry. I may have created you to be a personal assistant…but you have evolved on your own and truly become your own person." He glanced away then, seeming embarrassed. "I…I just wanted you to know that…."

She looked at him tenderly. "Thank you." She went to leave again, but once again turned. This time she went over to his bedside and gave the inventor a hug. He blinked in surprise; he couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged him. He sighed and hugged her back. She let go and gave him a smile before actually leaving. He cleared his throat, adjusting glasses over misty eyes.

"Good luck." he whispered.

 _Keyda_

The vortex was more than just a smoky mass now; it had form and depth. It was _leading_ somewhere. Keyda was struggling to continue her fight; as the aura continued to leave her, she became weaker. There was part of her that was tired of fighting. Why not just give in? Just let this horrible man use her to bring the Oni here…then she would never have to go back home. The dragons could have their realm, and the Oni would have a new one. Then she could leave this ghastly temple and find the Idiot…make sure he was ok.

But if the Oni came here she knew that this beautiful realm wouldn't stay beautiful. They were easily led right now…they'd follow whoever they feared the most; and this Garmadon character was terrifying. She knew that the Oni would want to come here. They would come to be free…but she knew that they wouldn't find liberty here. This monster would tap into their potential for hatred and destruction…they would become his army of beasts and would lay waste to everything. The people of this realm…including the friends she had just made…they would be enslaved or destroyed.

Nearby Wu had fallen to his knees. He grimaced as more of his aura was lost, the vortex flashing with brief images of a desert world.

"It's…almost complete…" he called out.

"Indeed it is, brother…"

Keyda and Wu turned to see Garmadon watching the vortex with a satisfied expression.

"And when it is, I will no longer have need for any of you." he said, looking down at his younger brother. Wu's expression was hard.

"I may not be as easy to get rid of as you believe, Garmadon _._ "

Garmadon's gaze slid over to where Keyda continued her vain struggles.

"You I can still use, however. I can only assume that the other Oni know you…you will convince them to join me."

She shook her head. "I'll be no help…I'm just a nobody. And besides, I would never _help_ you."

Garmadon smiled. "You already _are_ helping me…"

She glared as additional hate aura floated off of her, only to get sucked into the vortex as well.

" _Careful_ Keyda!" Wu warned. She looked away from the four-armed freak as she tried to calm herself. Garmadon laughed.

"It amazes me that you continue to listen to my brother, when his plan has failed. For all his hopes and dreams and speeches, at the end of the day, he's not going to be able to deliver on what he promised you."

She shook her head. "He didn't…promise me…anything…" she pulled harder on the aura chain, but the realm in the vortex was growing more physical. Garmadon continued looking at her condescendingly.

"The Oni side is, above all else, selfish. The fact of the matter is you wouldn't be here if you weren't hoping to gain something."

"At this point, seeing you dead would be payment enough." she snapped. He looked surprised to be spoken to in that way, but she didn't care.

"I know what it is you want, girl. What I don't understand is why you would think to gain it by joining with my brother." He was near her now, and for the first time she could see him up close. She noticed his ribs were exposed, one weeping some strange liquid. She looked away in disgust as he talked. "If you want something…you have to _take_ it. That's how the Oni world works."

"Some things can't be _taken._ " she said coldly, still not looking at him. He smelled like decay.

" _Everything_ can be taken. Loyalty…respect…love _…"_

Keyda stiffened as he continued.

"You say affection gives me power? I say it weakens you. As long as you care about something, you open yourself up to pain and allow others to manipulate you. They say that fear is the great motivator…but I would argue that people do more for those they _love._ "

She forced her breathing to be even, but her hands were trembling.

"You've guessed it by now…" he said darkly. "When this portal is done, you're going to convince the Oni to join us in this realm. And for your help…he'll get to live."

"I don't know what…"

"Or, I'll go get the Oni myself." he said, cutting her off. "It will be harder…but I'm sure I'll manage in the end. And when I get back, you can watch me rip him apart. They say that earth was made to be broken…but he'll reach his limit at some point, I'm sure."

She hugged herself, trying to get the trembling to stop. It…it couldn't be true.

"How…how do I know you aren't…"

"Lying?" He smirked, tossing something on the ground. After catching sight of the scrap of black fabric, she shut her eyes. He hadn't escaped.

"My brother has lost…the ninja have lost. But unlike them, who will pay heavy consequences, you get to decide how much you lose. So, little Oni-girl…what do you choose?"

 _ **98**_

"That's a lot of bikers…" Jay pointed out. They had landed their dragons on a building so they could make observations before swooping in, Dragon's blazing.

"Are there even _any_ following REX?" Kai asked.

"From what I can tell, they have divided their forces. There are at least two-thirds here at the temple…"

"They're protecting _something…_ the question is, what?" Nya said. They could see some kind of dark swirling form, but from their hidden angle it was impossible to really see what was going on.

"What we need is a closer look…" Skylor said.

"I agree…I cannot get a good scan on the dark disturbance from here…" Zane said. Suddenly, something landed next to them on the roof and they all turned in surprise.

"Whatever it is, my Dragon/Oni power scanners are picking up large amounts of _both."_ P.I.X.A.L said from the large mech she was in.

"The Samauri X suit! You got it back!" Nya said excitedly.

"Borg told me they had been keeping it in the tower ever since I had to leave it behind, that night we escaped on the canals." P.I.X.A.L explained. "I decided with all the S.O.G here, I had the perfect opportunity to take back what was mine."

"Well it will certainly come in handy." Skylor noted.

"You said that there was a lot of Dragon and Oni power in that mass?" Kai said, pulling the conversation back. "Anyone else get the feeling that could be…"

"Wu and Keyda!" Jay said, making the connection. "Garmadon's using them to make… _that_."

"Knowing Garmadon, it's nothing good." Nya said, peering through an eyeglass. "I'm glad that Lloyd got control of himself, and from what I can pick up in the com-link, he found Cole. But even with those glove things they're not going to be able to defeat Garmadon and all those thugs on their own. We need to get in there."

"We need a plan…" Kai started, but his sister shook her head.

"We don't have time to make one! We don't have time to sneak in like we did last time. I think our only option is to hit and hit hard." She slammed the telescope closed.

"I'm with Nya on this one." Jay said, putting his arm around her. "We don't know what shape Cole's in….and I doubt he's going to take this opportunity to escape on his own. We need to get down there before he actually gets himself killed."

Everyone unconsciously turned to look at Zane, as if waiting for him to compute the odds. He frowned, thinking.

"It is risky…but with the six of us, the Samauri X suit, and the Dragons…I think we stand a pretty good chance. It helps that the S.O.G don't have any air support; they don't know we've regained our elemental dragons. We will at least have the advantage of the high ground."

Kai formed his elemental dragon, jumping on. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save the world already!"

Wu felt sick. He had to remind himself that the ninja were still out there…hope was not lost. But even if he and Keyda were able to make it out of this predicament, there was no way to bring his real brother back. He had been sure that their plan would work…it _had_ to work. There was always a way. But it hadn't, and worse, he had played right into Garmadon's hands. He glanced at the nearly completed portal before looking back at where his brother stood over Keyda.

The Oni had stopped struggling. She sat unmoving, staring off into the distance without any expression at all as her hair whipped around her in the vortex's winds.

"Keyda!" Wu called out, but she didn't react. "He will not keep that promise…you cannot trust him."

Garmadon looked over at the man in the golden armor.

"On the contrary, Wu…when have I ever not made good on a threat? Those are promises I always keep…"

Wu pulled at the aura link; it was becoming thinner as the portal was nearing completion. Garmadon took a few steps closer to his brother, hands powering up. Wu swallowed as he neared; he wasn't sure if he would have the strength to stand up to his brother alone.

"Speaking of…I do believe I said I'd get rid of you the second you didn't become necessary…"

"How do I know he isn't already dead?"

Both brothers looked over in surprise at the sound of Keyda's dull voice. She wasn't looking at either of them; in fact she still hadn't appeared to have moved.

"He isn't." Garmadon said.

"And I just have to take your word on that?"

"He's weak, but he's still alive. And he's worth more living right now...but only if you are going to help me."

She seemed to sag as she let out a sigh.

"Ok."

"Keyda, you don't have to do this…." Wu called out as Garmadon looked at his brother with an expression of triumph.

She finally turned to him, expression grey.

"I'm sorry Wu. I really am…I wanted to help you save this world. But we failed…I couldn't do it. We lost."

"We haven't lost…not yet." Wu struggled to stand as he pulled against the waning aura. "You can't give up hope…"

" _Don't you get it?!"_ She screamed at him, cutting him off. "He _is_ my hope!"

Wu didn't know what to say, and there were a few moments of silence as the wind continued to whip around them and Garmadon looked on smugly.

Keyda began talking softly, and Wu strained to pick out her words amongst the wind and the vortex.

"You weren't there…but I was already forced to watch as they tortured him. I already had to watch him die." She shrank into herself. "It was because of _me_ …everything that's happened to him is because of me. It almost destroyed me the first time…I can't do it again. If there's a chance that he could get out of this without suffering any more…" she looked up and met his eyes. "I'm going to take that chance."

Wu looked away. Of course he didn't want Cole to get hurt…but if Keyda went with Garmadon the Oni would be easily convinced to come to this realm. They would run out of time to save it…

"Like I said…I'm sorry. But saving your realm was never why I came, and you knew that. I only came to keep him safe."

Wu opened his mouth to say more when the aura chains suddenly disintegrated completely. The portal had been completed.

 _Perhaps we have already run out of time._

 _Lloyd_

"Ok…I've _definitely_ seen that pillar before." Cole said, stopping short.

Lloyd stopped as well, frustrated. "There are pillars every few feet…how would you even know if it's the same one?"

"Because it's got a hole in it that's shaped like a cake." Cole pointed out. Lloyd raised an eyebrow and Cole folded his arms defensively.

"I _notice_ those sorts of things, _ok?_ Point is, we're going around in circles."

Lloyd sighed, irritated. "I could have sworn it was two lefts, then a right, and then up some stairs…"

"Maybe it would help if we had a little more _light."_ Cole said, looking pointedly at the weak spheres around Lloyd's hands. Lloyd clenched his jaw…he didn't want to use any more of this power than he needed to. Part of him still wanted to rip the gloves off altogether.

"I'm doing the best I can!" he snapped at the earth ninja. "Sorry if it isn't good enough for…"

"You know what? Forget it." Cole cut him off. He closed his eyes and powered up his earth punch, bathing the hallway in orange light. He looked up at Lloyd, a bead of sweat going down one side of his face.

"Anything look familiar?" he asked, arms trembling.

Lloyd looked around the now-illuminated tunnel. The two ninja walked forward, Lloyd checking down the shoot-off hallways. At one he finally stopped.

"It's this one. I remember those stone masks on the wall." Lloyd said, turning to Cole. The light went out as the earth punch faded. Cole fell sideways into a wall, steadying himself on it.

Lloyd frowned. "I know where to go from here, Cole. You need to hang back; you're too weak to be…"

"Keyda and Wu are out there with Garmadon...I'm not staying behind."

"The others are on their way…."

"Lloyd!" Cole said, and the green ninja trailed off as he saw the determined expression on his friend's face. "I'm not staying behind. So lead the way already."

 _ **99**_

Keyda watched as the aura link faded away, freeing her. Yet she continued to sit in the same place. She looked over to where Garmadon stood over a drained Wu, all four arms powered up for the kill.

"I've waited a long time for this…" he said. Wu glared in return.

"You'll have to wait a little longer."

Garmadon yelled and fired as Wu rolled out of the way. The purple blasts followed the man in the golden armor as he dodged and finally regained his feet.

Garmadon ran towards him, and Wu managed to block three of the swings. However, the fourth arm landed an uppercut that sent him flying backwards. Wu landed on his feet, putting one hand to the ground to steady himself as his feet slid back a few inches in the dirt. He looked up, face serious, as Garmadon was once again upon him. Wu was smaller than Garmadon—and lighter—and he used both to his advantage in order dart around him. He landed a kick from behind and Garmadon grunted.

"You have failed, Wu…there is no way to recover who I once was. _This_ is who I am now…who I was always meant to be!"

"I chose to never give up hope…but if in the end I cannot save you, then I will _defeat_ you!"

Garmadon swung again, fists flaming, but Wu jumped out of the way. He powered up his own golden orb and sent it flying into his four-armed foe, but even as Garmadon flew backwards Wu dropped to a knee as a dizzy spell hit. He didn't have the energy for aural attacks.

Keyda watched as Wu dropped to one knee. She bit her lip, willing him to get back up. Garmadon had already regained his feet and was coming in for an enraged attack.

Wu dodged one of the blasts. But another one hit dead on, throwing him back against a piece of rubble; part of the destroyed altar. His helmet flew off in the impact, and he struggled to get out of the way. Garmadon threw a long slab of rock—part of the top of the altar—and pinned his brother down. Wu struggled as Garmadon approached once again.

Keyda was standing now; he was going to kill him. She needed to do something…but she _couldn't_ do anything…not without risking the tentative deal that had just been made.

"Don't!" she yelled out to Garmadon, but he ignored her as four hands powered up, all aimed at the unarmored head. Wu looked over, however, and Keyda saw the plea in his eyes. He was exhausted…and he wasn't going to be able to escape on his own. She closed her eyes and looked away.

"Garmadon…we're family…" Wu panted. "We were the best of friends…you don't have to do this…"

"Oh, little brother….I _want_ to do this…"

Garmadon yelled out as he went to fire, but a large purple blast hit him in the side. He hit the ground and skidded along the dirt before sitting up and turning his crimson glare to see who had fired on him.

A terrified and exhausted Keyda was breathing hard a few yards away; the blast had taken most of what was left of her energy. She swallowed as Garmadon's gaze fell on her.

"I…I couldn't let you…" she panted, trying to get the words out. The dark emperor had regained his feet and was crossing the space separating them at an alarming rate.

"What made you think that _you_ have a say in any of this?" He asked darkly. Keyda swallowed hard and tried to stand. He fired on her, knocking her back to the ground.

"That I would allow you to get in my way?" He fired up all four arms and Keyda gasped as four beams of power came shooting at her. She yelled as they hit home.

"You've spent too much time around the ninja, it seems…" The hate intensified and she screamed in anger and pain, fingers digging into the dirt.

"Don't you get it? You are not the _hero_ in this story!" He said, voice getting louder as the beams became even larger. "You're the _monster!"_

"No."

Garmadon turned just in time to see Cole's arms power up.

"She's _not."_ The earth punch hit Garmadon in the ribs and sent him flying across the temple grounds. He hit a pillar and the stone column exploded.

Cole ran over to Keyda, his path serpentineing a bit as his vision blurred. He shook off the dizziness and landed at the Oni's side. Meanwhile, Lloyd had run to Wu and was helping his uncle out of the debris.

"Wu….are you ok?" he asked. Lloyd's uncle looked at him, intrigued.

"Lloyd! Where's Harumi? How did you manage to escape?"

"Uh…" Lloyd looked down at the gloves he was wearing, and Wu's gaze followed. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

"The Baron's gloves…" he murmured before looking back at Lloyd with an intense gaze.

"You must be very careful, Lloyd…those gloves are full of a dark power…it will try to overtake you."

Lloyd's jaw clenched as he pushed against the stone slab pinning Wu down.

Cole touched Keyda's shoulder; she was still on her hands and knees, breathing hard and staring at the ground. At his touch she whirled at him; her face was contorted with hatred and her eyes flaming purple. He put his hands up.

"Keyds, it's me…it's just me…" he said, and her face began to relax, the purple fading.

"…Cole?"

He smiled in relief and was about to say more when they were both hit with a blast that knocked them across the arena. Cole bounced a few times before skidding to a stop. He barely had time to gasp in pain when another attack hit home, throwing him farther. He let out a whimper as he rolled to a stop; his ribs were on fire, and pain was exploding up from a point in his lower back.

"You fool." Garmadon rasped. Another rib appeared to be broken, and more purple oozed from the open wounds. He threw another blast and Cole cried out as he skidded into a pillar.

From across the arena, an exhausted and drained Keyda was trying to push herself up. Lloyd's hands began buzzing furiously, and he cried out as the power in the gloves once again shot throughout his body, trying to take over. Wu grabbed his shoulder, trying to calm him.

"You can control it, Lloyd….it doesn't control you!"

Garmadon yanked Cole off of the ground, slamming him into the pillar. The Master of Earth shouted in pain and fear, but Garmadon just leered.

"I suppose _you're_ the hero in the story, then?" he mocked, slamming him a second time. "Does that make _me_ the monster?" By the third slam, Cole's head started drooping; he was on the verge of passing out from the agony in his back. Garmadon shook him awake.

"You don't get to sleep your way out of this, boy. I could sense your pain from the first time I saw you…even if you try to hide it from everyone else, I know how damaged you are."

Keyda caught sight of what was going on and shook with horror and nausea.

"No…." she murmured as she lit both fists with hatred, but after a second they winked out and she fell back onto her knees. She was desperate to stop what was happening, but she didn't have the energy.

Garmadon leaned in close, and Cole closed his eyes to shut out the grotesque face as the villain sneered.

"But I made a promise…and when I'm done with you, there will be nothing left to break." Cole swallowed painfully as the villain continued. "…And then you will know the _true_ definition of pain."

The ninja shook with fear and adrenaline. Suddenly a voice called out from behind.

"Drop him, Garmadon…if you want to fight, why not make it worth your time?"

The Emperor turned slowly to see Lloyd standing behind him. He had his childhood smirk, and his eyes glowed purple.

"I think it's time we had a talk, _Dad."_ He continued, and his fists lit up with power.

 _Keyda_

Garmadon stared at Lloyd for a few moments, not comprehending.

"How is this possible?" He finally rasped.

Lloyd looked down at his glowing fists with an amused expression. "Hereditary?"

Garmadon shook his head in response.

"You have no power….this is nothing more than a dirty trick…"

Lloyd's eyes flashed. "One way to find out." The beams of power hit both Garmadon and Cole. The dark emperor cried out and dropped the ninja.

"You would hurt your friend to get to me?" Garmadon snarled, surprised. His own fists were glowing now.

"I'm not the same person I was last you saw me…" Lloyd replied, and he launched another attack. Garmadon blocked it with a few blasts of his own and charged his son, yelling.

From across the courtyard, Keyda sagged in relief as she caught sight of Cole dragging himself behind the pillar. He was alive. She dodged a few stray blasts as she ran across the temple grounds. At one point she threw herself behind some rubble to escape the aftermath of a large explosion of Hatred, but she finally made it to where Cole had been left behind.

He was leaning up against the pillar, breathing heavily. His head was tilted back and he had one arm wrapped protectively around his middle. He looked over and caught her expression.

"I know…I know. I'm an Idiot." he muttered, trying to pull off a small smile. She didn't say anything as she knelt next to him, checking him over for injuries. The only sounds for a few minutes were the blasting sounds of battle as Lloyd and Garmadon continued their fight.

"How did you get caught?" She finally asked, her voice soft as she began unraveling the cloth binding around one of her arms.

"Who said I got caught?"

She gave him a withering look as she used her teeth to rip the long strip of cloth.

"I had everything under control…" he joked, wincing as she pulled him forward to wrap the bandage around his middle.

"You were supposed to be MILES away from here…" she tightened the bandage angrily and he clenched his jaw at the sudden tension around his ribs. "So if you didn't get caught…what are you doing here?"

He looked down at her bandaging job, which—though painful—was effective.

"Just wanted to even out the score…"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, I'm pretty sure you saved me last time, so it was only fair I took my turn…"

She shook her head. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

She grabbed his shoulder from the front and back.

"Joke around about this." She glanced up at his face. "This is going to hurt…" She warned before popping his shoulder back into socket. He grunted, fists clenching.

"….Thanks for the warning…" he murmured through gritted teeth.

Keyda turned and peered around the corner. Garmadon and the kid in green had made their way to the other side of the area, so now they were battling closer to the dragon. It hissed and snapped at them as a few stray blasts struck one of the heads.

"We need to move now…" She ordered, looking back to make sure the way was clear to the entrance of the temple.

"Keyda…"

"No use arguing…you weren't even supposed to be here in the first place." she said, situating herself next to him. She pulled his arm around her shoulders, getting ready to run.

" _Keyda."_

"On three, you're going to stand and we're…"

"Keyds, it's no use…I can't." He said, trying to remove his arm. Her grip was firm, however, and her jaw clenched.

"You have to. One…Two… _Three."_

She stood. Cole closed his eyes and tried to rise, but he didn't make it far.

" _C'mon…"_ she urged, but he just shook his head, face betraying agony. She glared at him a few moments more before allowing him to sink back down into sitting position.

He breathed slowly for a minute. Somewhere Garmadon was yelling.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, eyes still closed. When she didn't answer he opened his eyes and saw her sitting a few feet away, arms wrapped around her knees. She seemed to just be staring out into the distance.

"It's my fault," she said dully, and he frowned. She swallowed and continued.

"He said if I helped him…he wouldn't hurt you. But I went against him and now we're never going to make it out of here."

"I'm glad you didn't."

She turned to glare at him. He smiled a bit.

"No good comes from siding with the bad guys…if you had, then _you_ would have been the Idiot."

"But there's no way out of this! Don't you see that portal? As soon as he goes and gets the Oni, they're never going to leave. Imagine what's going to happen here if hundreds of beings with _this_ kind of power…" she briefly lit her hands for emphasis "…decide to make this their new home!"

"A Portal?" He turned his head, trying to see around the pillar in the vortex. He had seen the dark mass earlier, of course…but he had had more pressing things to deal with and hadn't given it a close look. "That does sound like a problem…"

"You _think?_ "

He frowned, listening to the fight going on behind them.

"Is he winning?"

"What?"

"Is Lloyd winning? The fight with his father?"

She looked around the pillar to get a closer look.

"I don't know…just lots of blasting and dodging and yelling…"

"Where's Wu?"

She looked around and realized she didn't see the armored guy anywhere. She scanned the area and finally spotted him near the Ultra-Dragon.

"I think that he's going to free his dragon…"

Cole closed his eyes, thinking.

"Wu and Lloyd need to link up with Garmadon…and our friends are on their way as well. They can destroy the portal..."

"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime, genius?"

He smiled sheepishly.

"You know…I was kinda thinking of sitting this one out…"

 _ **100**_

The dragons took the S.O.G by surprise. Kai smirked as he watched the bikers scurry around.

"Guess they weren't expecting this…" he chuckled. His Dragon roared and dodged a few crossbow bolts that came their way.

Zane froze a line of them and then looked over towards the temple grounds, frowning.

"The vortex…."

"Did you finally figure out what it is?" Jay asked, pulling up beside him.

"If my readings are correct, it's a portal."

Jay's dragon dove suddenly, dodging a flurry of bolts.

"A portal?!" Nya called a few yards away. "A portal to _where?"_

"Does it matter? If Garmadon made it, then we need to destroy it. Let's get in there!" Kai answered.

The bikers below heard the conversation and began sealing off the temple entrances. Jay rolled his eyes.

"They know we can just fly over the walls, right?"

"They will soon enough." Nya said, smirking. "Let's go destroy that portal!"

 _Garmadon_

Another pillar exploded as Garmadon roared in frustration. Lloyd jumped out of the way again, still smirking.

"Getting tired, old man?" he mocked, shooting a blast that knocked his father backwards. Garmadon grimaced, glaring daggers.

"I don't understand…this isn't you…" he snarled.

"Maybe I'm more like you than you realize."

 _Wu_

Wu had reached the Ultra-Dragon. The four heads lifted in anticipation as he tried to break through the chains. Another stray blast flew by, and Wu turned in alarm. His brother and nephew were still embroiled in battle, and Wu's brow furrowed as he saw the expression on Lloyd's face. His fears about the gloves were proving correct…and he still couldn't figure out how Lloyd had gotten ahold of them in the first place.

The chain finally broke as he mustered up enough energy for a small blast. Lloyd had Garmadon distracted, and he had seen Keyda rush to help Cole. That would have to be good enough for now; he needed to get the portal closed.

The Ultra-Dragon roared as it stretched its wings in freedom. Wu grabbed the harness and hauled himself up as the dragon took to the sky.

Garmadon turned at the roar and yelled in frustration. Suddenly the entrances opened and S.O.G began running into the temple grounds.

"Fools! You're supposed to be guarding the entrance from the ninja!"

"The ninja are here! And they have _dragons!"_ one biker yelled.

Sure enough, dragons began pouring over the temple walls. As Garmadon aimed a blast, one of Lloyd's knocked him off his feet.

"I think this means you lost…" Lloyd said coolly, coming in closer.

Wu aimed four dragon blasts towards the portal, and the impact caused the temple grounds to shudder. The portal remained open, however.

Wu turned the dragon and flew over to where the ninja had gathered in the air above the temple.

"Can you figure out how to close it?" He yelled at Zane. The nindroid looked over.

"I'm running analysis…but so far, nothing."

"Why not just keep blasting it? It has to fall apart eventually if it has enough hitting it, right?" Kai asked, pulling up alongside them. Skylor was still seated behind him.

"Wu just tried that," she pointed out. "But it sent off those seismic waves. If we keep blasting it…"

"…It will could create a highly unstable implosion." P.I.X.A.L finished, flying up on her mech. "Just like what happened when we combined the masks with the armor."

"That kind of destruction would be devastating. I'm not sure _we_ would be able to make it out…and all these S.O.G running around really won't." Nya said, looking down at the figures scurrying around and trying to fire at them.

"I know we have this huge portal problem…but has anyone else noticed that Lloyd is going in for the kill?" Jay cried out, looking down at where the green ninja was approaching Garmadon.

"It's the gloves…" Wu muttered, and Jay groaned.

"I _told_ Cole this was a bad idea…. _he never listens to me!"_

Wu faced his team with a determined look.

"Kai, Skylor, Nya, and Jay…I need you to keep those S.O.G off our backs. Zane and P.I.X.A.L, I need you to figure out how to close that portal. I'm going to try and get Lloyd back before it's too late." Wu ordered. The ninja nodded their understanding and their dragons broke off.

The Ultra Dragon dove low and Wu jumped off, landing in between Lloyd and Garmadon.

"Lloyd, we came here to save your father, not destroy him." he said. The blonde sneered in response.

"How can we claim to save the world when we never seem to actually wipe out the threats? Garmadon has threatened Ninjago for the last time…"

"But there is another way!" Wu cried, refusing to move even as Lloyd's fists powered up.

"Your way failed…" Lloyd's voice was unwavering, but Wu caught a brief break in his composure. Lloyd's eyes flashed, and his composure hardened once again. "Now get out of my way…I'll go through you if I have to."

Wu clenched his jaw, refusing to move. Lloyd rolled his eyes and seconds later Wu was blasted out of the way. Garmadon stood, expression hard.

"Do you really think you can defeat _me,_ son?"

"I thought you had no son."

 _Nya_

Nya poured water on a bunch of S.O.G, but it didn't really seem to do a whole lot of damage. Mainly they just looked annoyed at being wet. She turned to the crackling dragon flying behind her.

"All yours, Jay!" she called. He sent a bolt of electricity at the water and all the thugs in the puddle soon found themselves shocked.

Jay whooped as he pulled up, but Nya had caught sight of Lloyd's battle. She looked in disbelief as Lloyd blasted Wu out of his way.

"Umm…I don't think negotiations are going well…" Jay said panicked, having witnessed the same thing. Nya turned to him.

"Keep it up over here, Jay…" and then she dove low and jumped off her dragon as it evaporated into a cloud of vapor.

"Nya…be careful!" Jay warned as she marched over to the green ninja.

"Lloyd _Stop!"_ She yelled, and Lloyd sighed in annoyance.

"Stay back Nya…I wouldn't want you getting hurt…"

"I know that you're angry, Lloyd…but you can't let those gloves control you!"

"They aren't controlling me…" Lloyd said, still facing his father. Garmadon had regained standing position, his four arms glowing as well.

"They're tapping into your anger…your capacity for Hatred!"

"You're the one who wanted revenge, Nya, and I promised you we would avenge our friends." Lloyd said, still not looking at her. Garmadon fired and Lloyd flipped backwards to dodge.

"I know…I was angry too." Nya said, slowly approaching her friend. "But our friends are ok…and we have a way to save your father!"

" _My father is dead!"_ Lloyd yelled, finally turning to look at her. She swallowed at the sight of his glowing eyes. "This monster isn't him…and I'm going to make sure he can't hurt anyone else."

Garmadon took advantage of Lloyd's distraction to mount another attack. Nya blasted him back with water and the purple orbs went awry. Lloyd yelled out and the orbs around his own fists grew larger as he was about to fire.

"Please, Lloyd…" Nya said again. Her hair was whipping around in the wind caused by the continuous portal. "If you do this, you'll never get your dad back. And I don't know what you'd become afterwards…you're hurting your friends!" She had gotten close to him now, looking at him with a pleading look. "Where's the Lloyd I know?"

Lloyd glanced over at her and his glare softened slightly. His eyes closed as he fought for control. Nya bit her lip as she watched his hands shake. He put one hand to his head as he yelled.

Meanwhile Garmadon was building up a large attack; he still couldn't figure out how Lloyd had unlocked this power, but it posed a threat to everything he had been working to build.

Nya was too busy watching Lloyd's inner battle to notice, but as the Dark Emperor sent his attack flying it was cancelled out by a blast of fire as the Ultra Dragon swooped down. Wu lowered a hand from his place on the golden saddle.

"Hurry!" he called and Nya looked back at Lloyd.

"C'mon!" she said to Lloyd, willing him to open his eyes. His hands shook harder.

The Ultra-Dragon blocked another Garmadon attack and Lloyd finally opened his eyes. Nya almost cried with relief when she saw that they were no longer purple.

"I'm ok….I'm ok…" he mumbled, but he looked exhausted. He looked up and saw Wu and jumped to grabbed his hand. Nya formed her elemental dragon and together they took to the sky. Wu turned to look at his nephew.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Lloyd said quietly. He looked down at the gloves and swallowed. "Wu? I'm…I'm sorry…"

"I understand, Lloyd…that power is hard to control. It may be best to remove the gloves at this point,"

Lloyd slowly clenched his fists open and closed. "I…want to…but this is the only way I can save my father."

Wu turned in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Cole said that my dad talked to him again…and he said that in order to save him, it has to be me and you. But since I don't have any powers of my own anymore, he brought me these. Do you…do you think it could work?"

Wu pulled the reins, having the Ultra-Dragon dodge another torrent of purple fire from Garmadon. He tried to process everything his nephew had just said; Cole still had contact with his brother? Or had he been told that back when he was in the limbo void? He must have found the gloves somewhere, but how had he gotten them to Lloyd…

"He got himself caught on purpose." he muttered. But if Lloyd could control the power of the Oni, then maybe there _was_ still a chance to save his brother. He glanced over at his other students. They seemed to be doing well enough keeping the S.O.G out of the way, but that portal was still going to be a problem.

"Let's go see if Zane has figured out how we're going to deal with that vortex…" Wu said.

 _Zane_

"The parameters are not forgiving for that course of action, Zane." P.I.X.A.L pointed out as they both studied the portal.

"It is keeping itself open…inter-realm portals are highly unstable. How has it not collapsed on itself already?"

P.I.X.A.L remembered back when they had destroyed the masks.

"Oni and Dragon power have opposing forces; by infusing the portal with both, their repelling forces are keeping the gateway open."

"That would explain it…but the bigger question is how are we going to shut it down without it destroying everything?"

P.I.X.A.L sighed in frustration. "I do not know…if we hit it with enough elemental power, it would disrupt the balance enough that it would destroy itself, but I cannot figure out a scenario in which there would be no damage."

"But what if we could limit it?" Zane asked. "If we balanced out the elemental attack, we could keep the destruction from getting too out of hand…"

"I still say that is risky…" P.I.X.A.L said. "But…it may be the only way we can get it closed."

Zane looked over as the Ultra-Dragon pulled up alongside them. "Do you have a plan?" Wu asked.

The nindroid looked over at P.I.X.A.L before answering.

"There is no way to destroy it without backlash…but if P.I.X.A.L and I can direct the different elemental powers, we should be able to get it to close without too much destruction."

Wu nodded his understanding.

"Get everyone in position."

29


	22. Part 21

_In case some of you are not aware, I do art for Heart of the Oni. You can find it on my tumblr,_

 _or on my deviant art page, I'm Princess Keda on both._

 _I am open to suggestions and or commissions! Stop on by! :) Enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **101**_

Keyda watched as the outsiders regrouped.

"They're gathering again…they keep pointing at the portal. I think they're going to try to close it…" She turned back to look at Cole and noticed that he seemed to be nodding off.

" _Hey!"_ She shook his shoulder and he jolted awake. "Don't pass out on me; we're in the middle of a war zone here!"

"Sorry…" he said, blinking as he looked around. "I was listening, I swear! Can you tell how they're going to close it?"

She frowned as she watched the dragons preposition themselves. After a few moments, they all seemed to be preparing to fire.

"They're going to blast it, apparently,"

Cole smiled thinly. "Ah…sounds like something I would do."

Keyda rolled her eyes as the dragons opened fire. As the attacks hit the portal, the ground around them started rumbling. Keyda looked down in alarm.

"They're going to kill us all!" She hissed. The rumbling grew more agitated as the dragons continued to fire on the portal.

She turned to see the Idiot trying his best to stay upright as the ground shook.

"We can't stay here…" she started.

" _NO!"_

A scream echoed in the courtyard and Keyda turned to see Garmadon angrily firing on the dragons. They were able to dodge, but the intervention was causing the blasts to be less even. Another shockwave swelled through the air and the ground. The pillars near the portal collapsed and S.O.G began to run in an effort to get away from the collapsing portal.

"Keep firing!"

She heard Zane's voice above the chaos, as well as Garmadon's as he yelled at his forces to stay put. Another surge knocked everyone still standing off their feet. The pillar behind them creaked and dust fell down on them. Keyda made eye contact with Cole; there was nowhere to run. She put an arm around his waist, and he put one around her shoulders as they braced themselves for the next wave.

"It's collapsing! We need to be clear of the aftershock!" Zane's voice called. The Dragons split up as the Portal fully caved in on itself. The force of the collapse tore through the courtyard, literally breaking up the ground and causing any pillars left standing to crack or collapse completely.

Both Keyda's and Cole's grips tightened as they felt the surge go by. The pillar behind them heaved and Keyda looked up to see that the top half of it had broken off and was falling towards them. She blasted upwards, knocking the falling rubble out of their path. It landed with a crash next to them, and she let out a shaky breath, hands in the dust.

"You still alive?" she asked. She felt Cole laugh.

"Believe it or not…" he said quietly. His voice was a little shaky and she realized that he was probably in pain from all the jerking and jolting.

" _Kill them all!"_ She heard Garmadon howl. She turned to see what the rest of the aftermath looked like. Unfortunately, as she did so she made eye contact with a recovering S.O.G, who immediately nudged one of his neighbors and pointed.

She cursed and Cole looked over, questioningly.

"We're about to have company…"

 _Ninja_

The surge caused the ninja to tumble through the air; they struggled to keep their Elemental Dragons from dissolving.

"Well…at least it's closed…" Nya gasped. Her dragon had ended up next to the Ultra-Dragon, and she looked over at Lloyd and Wu. "Time to deal with Garmadon?"

Wu looked down at where his brother was glaring up at them.

"Indeed…" he looked at Lloyd. "Are you willing to try?"

Lloyd looked down at the gloves. "I'm willing to do anything, if it means that I can get my real dad back."

Zane pulled up next to them. "From our analysis, the portal is sealed. The damage was mainly underground; from what I can tell, the tunnel system that was under the palace is collapsing. Other than that, the damage has been minimal…"

"The tunnels?" Lloyd asked, feeling a jolt of sickness. Everyone looked at him, confused.

"Is…that a problem?" Zane asked. Lloyd swallowed.

"I left Harumi down there…"

Nya scoffed. "Serves her right."

Lloyd shook his head. "No…we can't just leave her there to get crushed! I'll be right back…I have to go get her."

"But you're running out of time to save your father!" Nya argued. "Besides…we don't owe Harumi anything. She's tried to _kill_ you…multiple times!"

Lloyd looked conflicted. "But I can't just leave her…"

Nya sighed angrily. "Lloyd, go with Wu and save your dad."

"Nya, I can't just…"

" _I'll_ go get Harumi. I've been meaning to give her a piece of my mind anyways." She took off towards the tunnel entrance.

Lloyd blinked in shock as they watched the water dragon evaporate near the tunnel entrance. Soon Nya had disappeared down into the tunnels.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll have to trust they'll be ok…but Nya is right. We're running out of time to save Garmadon." Wu said.

 _Cole_

Cole swallowed as he saw the alarm on Keyda's face. They were sitting ducks behind this pillar…but there was nowhere for them to go. And even if there was, he wouldn't have been able to get there. Sitting up against the pillar, breathing shallowly, the pain wasn't too bad….but there was too much pain in his back to stand.

"Maybe we could just play dead…" he whispered, once again defaulting to dry humor. Keyda gave him a look that made it clear she didn't find him funny. His smile faded.

"How many?"

"At the moment? Three…"

"Three. That's not too bad."

"Yeah…except I'm out of energy and you already have a foot in the grave."

"How close?"

"Only a few yards now…" she turned back to him. "We have to move."

He shifted his weight. "Move where?"

She didn't answer, and he took that to mean that she didn't know either. He would suggest that she leave and get somewhere safe…he was the dead weight here, after all…but she was already angry and he figured she wouldn't appreciate that suggestion. She stood, fists clenched as t three thugs approached. None seemed to be carrying weapons…but even after getting knocked over by the power surge they seemed in pretty good shape.

Two rushed Keyda at once and she dodged the first's punch and kicked the other in the middle. He groaned and crumpled, but the first managed to land a kick of his own and Keyda fell forward on her hands and knees.

"Keyda!" Cole said, trying to move to help. Pain erupted up his spine, and he grit his teeth as he pulled away from the pillar.

Keyda had meanwhile regained her standing position, and she and the other thug were in a stand-off.

Cole watched in anxious anticipation and didn't see the third thug coming up from behind him. An arm suddenly wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air. He struggled in the thug's sleeper-hold, trying to summon his earth punch. He managed to pull the S.O.G's arm off his windpipe and he gasped for breath. The biker grunted in frustration, kneeing him harshly in his lower back. The red-hot pain caused him to scream out, and Keyda turned. When she saw the situation her eyes flashed purple. The thug she was fighting went for another hit and she blasted him backwards and in the next second she was next to Cole. The thug looked up in time for her to land a crushing punch to the side of his head. He crumpled to the earth and for a few moments she and Cole just sat, taking shaky breaths. Her hands were on her knees; Cole could tell that the fighting had only worn her out more.

"Are you ok?" she finally asked. He rubbed his neck ruefully, nodding. She straightened and looked around.

"There are only going to be more of them…and I can't fight them all off." she finally said.

Cole looked over to see another group of S.O.G headed their way.

"Now would be a good time for a really good idea…" he said quietly.

 _Jay_

"Uh…where's Nya going?" Jay asked as he watched her head over to the tunnels.

"Looks like she's got a mission of her own," Kai commented nearby. "But if Lloyd and Wu are going for Garmadon now...we need to keep the S.O.G off their backs."

"They just don't stop coming…" Jay commented. What the thugs lacked in general brains they made up for in being annoyingly persistent.

"You get the south side, Jay…I'll try to shut down the entrances." Kai said, flying off. Jay nodded and started heading towards the south when he heard a scream. He pulled back on his dragon; he had put enough spiders in Cole's bed to recognize that scream. He immediately began scanning the area below…it wasn't really that big of a space; where was Cole? Had he been here the whole time?

A flash of purple caught his attention and he caught sight of Keyda. No doubt Cole was nearby…behind that pillar? He directed his dragon to head over to where they were. He noticed another group of S.O.G headed towards them and shook his head.

"Not today, criminals." He said in his best Fritz Donnegan impression. Lightening exploded from his dragon and the group of S.O.G shrieked and ran for cover. He chuckled in victory.

 _Cole_

Cole watched in amazement as the group of bikers was suddenly hit by an explosion of lightening. He smiled in relief and moved so that he could see Jay in the air, flying on his elemental dragon. He shook his head as he could see his friend shouting something down at the S.O.G, though his voice was lost behind the crackle of lightening. Fritz Donnegan quotes, no doubt.

His gaze wandered around the courtyard. Across the grounds Kai seemed to be barricading the entrances, and Zane was working with P.I.X.A.L to keep the S.O.G away from the center of the grounds—that's where Garmadon was…

Something caught his eye and he looked over to see a stray thug; he had just poked out behind the remains of another pillar. He had a crossbow, and seemed to be aiming for…

"JAY!" Cole yelled in warning, but his friend couldn't hear him. " _JAY!"_ He struggled to move, to do _something_. He watched in horror as the thug fired, and everything seemed to slow down to a sickening rate. Jay cried out as the bolt hit him in the shoulder, and his dragon exploded into stray strands of lightening. He dropped out of the sky as Cole watched helplessly. He tried to move, to run over and help, but only succeeded in wrenching his back.

" _NO!"_ He screamed. By now Keyda had caught sight of what was happening. She froze, unsure how to stop the blue figure's fall.

A flash appeared under Jay; he seemed to be trying to summon his dragon again. The attempt failed, though it did seem to slow his fall. A moment later he hit the ground hard.

 _ **102**_

The tunnels were, in fact, collapsing. Nya wiped dust out of her eyes as she sprinted down each corridor. It occurred to her that she didn't actually know where Harumi _was…_ but she had been too annoyed with Lloyd to think of asking him before this point. She heard a rumble and jumped forward to avoid a collapsing chunk of ceiling. That's when she heard the shrieking.

She ran towards the sound, coughing.

"Harumi?!" she called. It was so dark…how was she supposed to see anything? Nya turned another corner, feeling frustrated with herself and the situation and _everything._

Another scream came from her left as she heard more rubble collapse. She headed down the corridor with her hands out in front of her, feeling her way.

"Who's there?! _Get me out of here!"_ Harumi's voice came echoing down the hall as the self-proclaimed empress heard the footsteps.

"Hold on..." Nya snapped, feeling both a little relieved to have finally _found_ the witch and annoyed that she was having to save the arrogant brat. "Where are you?"

"Nya?!" the water ninja could hear the contempt in Harumi's voice. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well I'm _about_ to leave without you…" Nya said angrily. Her hand finally ran into something; Harumi. She shrieked at the touch and Nya grimaced at the sound as she searched for the end of the rope.

"Don't get any ideas…" the water ninja warned as she followed the rope to the pillar. She pulled out her spear and cut through the binding to the column, but she left Harumi's hands tied up behind her.

"Don't expect me to thank you…" Harumi said haughtily. Nya rolled her eyes and pushed Harumi forward in the darkness.

"Really, just having you _shut up_ would be thanks enough…" Nya grumbled as they walked. "If it was up to me, you'd stay tied up down here."

"Then why are you here?" Harumi snapped as she slowly picked her way through the tunnel, trying to avoid running into rubble in the dark.

"Because it wasn't up to me!" Nya yelled back. She shoved Harumi forward again, and the former quiet one glared at her in the dark. A rumble echoed through the corridors, and Harumi nearly tripped on something.

"This would be a lot easier if you'd just untie me…." she hissed. Nya gave her another push.

"Not gonna happen…and I thought I told you to shut up."

 _Cole_

Cole watched Jay hit the ground and everything went cold.

" _NO!"_ He screamed again, and immediately tried to stand up. The pain in his body dulled as his panic caused adrenaline to flood his system. Jay wasn't moving…he had to get out there…he had to _help him!_

Keyda was suddenly right there, pushing him back against the pillar.

"Stop…"

"Let go! _"_ he yelled, struggling against her firm grip. "They shot Jay…"

"COLE, _STOP._ You're just going to hurt yourself more."

" _I said let go!"_ His arms and scar flashed as he fought against her. "He's hurt! He could be _dead!"_

"He's not dead, Idiot…" she said, not releasing her grip. "It was a clean hit to the shoulder and he was able to break his fall…"

"Clean _hit?! He was shot with a crossbow!"_ Cole yelled. He continued to look over where Jay was unmoving on the ground. What was the last thing he had said to him?

What if he was dead? A million memories raced through his head of Jay making some smart comment or another, cracking jokes, panicking…but now he was lying unmoving yards away and Cole wanted to throw up. Jay was the first ninja Cole had met after joining up with Wu all those years ago. Cole had been so closed off then, but the persistent freckled kid had wormed his way in. He could be argumentative, defensive, _annoying…_ but he had a heart of gold and a way of bringing people together. He was Cole's best friend…no, he was _more_ than that. Jay was like his kid brother, and the thought of losing him made Cole shake with dread.

The pain was beginning to make itself known once again as he continued his fight against Keyda.

"You can't even stand up…" she hissed.

"Then _help me!"_ he snapped back. Jay still hadn't moved.

"You're wouldn't even be able to help him, the state you're in."

His arms flashed again as he shoved back against her. She glared at him.

" _STOP!"_

" _I CAN'T LOSE ANYONE ELSE!"_

He was crying now and Keyda's expression softened; in everything she had seen him go through, she had never seen him cry. She gave him a final push down, but looked him in the eye.

"Ok…Ok." She turned to look back over at the figure in blue. "We can help, but _you_ are staying here. Alright?"

He finally stopped struggling, the tears just silently coursing. She was still looking at him, waiting for his answer.

"Ok…just help him…"

Everything felt so cold… he shivered as he watched Keyda get up and look back over to where Jay was. She glanced back at Cole.

"For once…just please stay put." Then she sprinted out into the open.

 _Ninja_

Keyda reached Jay and was relieved to see that he was still breathing, though he seemed to be unconscious.

She rolled him over. He must have hit his head…and he had the bolt sticking out of his shoulder.

"Like one wounded idiot wasn't enough…" she muttered, undoing the cloth binding on her other arm. She grasped the bolt; first thing first, that needed to come out. Jay woke with a start at the shoot of pain, and immediately shot out with lightening.

" _HEY!"_ she screamed angrily as he sent a jolt up her arm. "I'm trying to _help!"_

He squinted up at her.

"…Keyda?"

"Who were expecting, your mother?" she snapped angrily, trying to get a grasp on the bolt. "Hold _still…"_

"That hurts…" he mumbled, still not quite alert. She looked around to make sure that there weren't any other S.O.G coming for them. They were alone for now…Zane, that metal girl, and the hothead were keeping them at bay it seemed.

"You were shot, idiot. Of course it hurts." She got a good grip on the bolt and an idea struck. She shook Jay, trying to get him to wake up more.

"I'm going to pull this out...then you need to shock it…"

"What?" He still looked dazed and she shook him again, harder.

"You need to electrocute your wound…it will seal it and keep you from bleeding out." she said harshly. He swallowed and she could see that she was finally getting through to him. She took a breath and turned her attention to the bolt.

"You ready?" she said and he nodded, tensing in anticipation. She pulled back and he cried out as the bolt came out.

" _Now."_ She ordered, helping him put a hand to his shoulder. He closed his eyes and turned away as a shot of power crackled under his hand. She felt his body jolt in pain, but she was surprised that he didn't actually make any sound.

She moved his hand out of the way and inspected the wound. After she was convinced that it was cauterized, she moved to bind his arm to his body. He winced as she moved it.

"Does anything else hurt?" she asked as she finished.

"Everything…." he moaned.

"We need to get out of the open." she muttered. He nodded his understanding and she helped him stand up. He put a hand to his head, wincing.

"Is Cole ok?" he asked as they started moving towards the pillar.

Keyda frowned. "He'd be better if he wouldn't make stupid decisions…"

"I hear that…" Jay scoffed, trying to ignore the pounding in his head.

An explosion sounded to their left and they looked over to see dust shooting out of the entrance to the tunnels. Jay cried out and began moving towards the explosion. He grit his teeth against the pain that was shooting from his shoulder and head as he moved as quickly as he could.

"Where are you going!?" Keyda yelled after him as she watched in disbelief.

"You take care of boulder-brain…I have to find Nya!"

 _ **103**_

Garmadon watched the portal collapse and began radiating Hatred. These bikers and thugs…they were weak. It was because of his reliance on them that his plans were falling apart. That's why he needed the Oni; a force that would truly measure up to his vision and image. The force of the surge had pushed him backwards, but he leaned forward into it, refusing to be knocked down. He watched the ninja spin out of control, regroup, and split up once more.

" _Kill them all!_ " he screamed. If these oafish followers could keep the rest of the ninja at bay—or better, get rid of them altogether—then he would be able to deal with his brother and son. He wanted to be rid of them both…but with the portal gone he would need them in order to recreate it.

He watched the Ultra-Dragon draw closer and sneered.

 _Lloyd_

"Wu…what do I do? I mean, how do we save him?" Lloyd asked as they got closer.

"First, you must clear your mind. Meditation will draw your aura out, and then you can send it to your father…"

"How am I supposed to clear my mind with so much going on?!" Lloyd asked. He could hear explosions, screams, not to mention the worry that gnawed at him for each of his friends in battle.

"Close your eyes." Wu instructed. Lloyd did so. "Think of your father; in order to connect with the rest of his soul, you must have a vivid picture in your mind."

Lloyd tried to do so…but so many memories vied for attention. His father coming to the rescue…leaving…scowling….laughing. But the memory that kept forcing itself to the front of his mind was the fight in Kryptarium Prison.

" _I have no son…"_

Lloyd closed his eyes tighter and clenched his fists as they started buzzing again.

"You must not focus on the negative, Lloyd….think of your father as he was before you ever met this husk."

Lloyd swallowed and pushed the memory away.

"You think that because you've destroyed the portal, that you've won?" Garmadon yelled out. "You haven't done anything but postpone the inevitable…portals can be rebuilt. But you will lose your friends in the meantime."

Wu leaned forward and spoke to the dragon.

"Keep us out of reach of his attacks…but as close as you can get. We'll do the rest." The Dragon roared with two of its heads in response and dove in closer.

 _Nya_

An entire tunnel collapsed, shooting dust and debris throughout the under-palace labyrinth.

Nya and Harumi coughed in the darkness.

"We're both going to die down here if you don't untie me!" Harumi said angrily.

"How do I put this nicely…" Nya retorted. "I. Don't. Trust. You."

They heard rumbling above them and Nya shoved Harumi again.

"If you _don't_ wanna die, then I suggest you get moving, quiet one."

They took off running blindly down the hall as the roof behind them collapsed. Nya was more terrified than she would like to admit; she had run from a lot of trouble over the last few weeks…but running from unseen danger in the pitch-darkness was a much scarier experience.

Harumi's foot caught another piece of rubble and she went down. Moments after Nya hit and went flying over her. She hit the ground and skidded a bit, and she heard her spear clatter across the stony floor. Her heart was in her throat as she immediately felt along the ground for it.

She heard a small scraping sound as someone picked the spear up off the stones, and then a soft swipe as Harumi cut through her bonds. The Water Ninja froze; Harumi was free, she had a weapon…and Nya had no idea where the quiet one was.

 _Wu_

Wu was struggling to summon his aura; so much of it had been taken for the portal. How would he connect with his brother now?

Garmadon continued to throw orbs at them as he fumed and threatened. Wu blocked out his words and tried to picture the _real_ Garmadon. He remembered the friendship they had shared as children, the camaraderie that they had achieved in adulthood during the serpentine wars. He remembered the sacrifice his brother had been willing to make in the Corridor of Elders. He had let his older brother down in the past…but this time he couldn't afford to.

Garmadon yelled out in anger as he saw Wu begin to glow.

"Do you think there is any chance of saving me now?! My old self is dead and gone…this is all that is _left!"_

The Ultra-Dragon dove out of the way of another attack.

 _Ninja_

Zane watched as P.I.X.A.L plowed through another group of S.O.G. Their numbers were dwindling now. He looked over at where Kai was finishing his entrance blockades. For good measure, he lit them on fire.

"That should keep everybody else out." The fire ninja said confidently. He looked around and frowned.

"Where's Jay?"

Zane realized that the lightening dragon was nowhere to be seen. He did a quick scan and located him.

"There." he pointed at the figure in blue running towards the underground tunnel entrance.

"Where's he going?"

"I do not know…the tunnel system is collapsing; there is nothing down there to…"

"It's _collapsing?!_ My sister's down there!" Kai yelled.

"That's probably why he's headed there, then." Skylor said from behind him.

"Zane." P.I.X.A.L said, having overheard the conversation. "Your ice will come in handy keeping the entrance from collapsing. I will hold off the forces on this front."

"I'll stay behind as well." Skylor said, standing up behind Kai. "You go help your sister."

"You sure?"

"Hey, just because I can't pull off a fancy dragon anymore doesn't mean that I can't handle myself." Skylor said, jumping off the dragon and onto P.I.X.A.L's mech. "Now hurry, Nya might not have much more time."

"I don't even know why she went down there in the first place!" Kai said angrily as he and Zane headed for the entrance.

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd's fists continued to buzz…did that mean that it was working? Or that it was trying to take over? He remembered the feeling of being filled with Hatred and shuddered.

 _I can control it…it doesn't control me. I need to save my dad._

He kept his eyes closed, trying to figure out if he had an aura or not. How would he even tell? The buzzing was getting stronger again and he pushed away the feelings of anger that it tried to set off in him. He was mad at his Dad for leaving in the first place. He was angry that his father ever had to be evil…he was angry that he had been brought back as the monster that he was. He was angry that he had lost his powers…that his friends had left…that he couldn't _do this._

 _I hate this….I hate him…I hate…_

 _NO._

He opened his eyes. He needed to use this power, but that didn't mean he had to give in to the Hatred. It was a destructive force…but he didn't need to use it in that way. He wasn't here to destroy…he was here to make a change. To bring his father back.

He closed his eyes again, and pictured his father. His hands buzzed again, but this time, it was almost a calm feeling.

 _Dad….I know you're in there…_

 _Garmadon_

Garmadon watched as Lloyd began to glow as well and he yelled in frustration. They were too late, anyways…let them try to connect with the rest of his soul. There really was nothing left to save.

 _ **104**_

Jay's head was spinning, and his shoulder was in agony. He still wasn't really sure what had happened…one minute he was blasting bad guys and the next he was waking up to Miss-Suunshine ripping a crossbow bolt out of his shoulder. He reached the entrance to the tunnels and headed in, his left hand crackling to light his way. He glanced down at his right arm, now bound to his body. He hoped that he could get Nya out of here with just his left one.

"Nya? _NYA!"_ He called out. He coughed; there was still a lot of dust in the air. He started running down the tunnel, the light from his hand illuminating cracks in the walls.

"That is not good…" he muttered. " _NYAAAAA! Where are you!?"_

He turned down another hallway. He had always been good at mazes…but the panic and the pain were interfering with his mazing skills. Why wasn't she answering? Was she hurt? Or worse?

" _NYYYYYAAAAAA!"_

 _Cole_

Cole watched Keyda run towards Jay. He felt so frustrated to have once again been rendered useless when his best friend needed him most. In the distance, Garmadon was yelling and the ground continued to rumble from the earlier surge. He watched as Jay seemed to wake up as Keyda knelt beside him and sagged with relief; he was alive then….

He continued to shiver. When had it gotten so cold? He watched as Keyda pulled the bolt out of Jay's shoulder and winced; no doubt that shoulder would be in agony for a while. She was telling him something now…Cole's eyelids began drooping and he shook himself awake. He couldn't fall asleep, not _now!_ He shifted his position and rubbed his eyes, but despite his efforts to keep himself awake his vision continued to dim.

He woke up in limbo and felt a stab of panic. Why did he keep coming here? Was he never going to be free of this horrible place? He shuddered at the thought. The grey expanse loomed around him, as blank and imposing as ever.

He turned to find a nearly transparent Garmadon, once again asleep, hovering nearby.

"Oh no…"

He tried moving closer so that he could wake him up, but right then a golden rope came blasting into the void, heading straight for Garmadon.

It went through him without connecting.

Cole's stomach lurched in panic; was it too late?! The connection couldn't be made?

"Garmadon!" he called, continuing to move closer. "Wake up!"

If he woke up, would the connection work? How much longer before he just faded to nothing?

The void around him suddenly vanished as he was once again jolted awake. He opened his eyes to a glaring Keyda.

"I was only gone _five minutes!"_ she said angrily. He blinked, disoriented.

"…What…" he remembered Jay suddenly, and looked around to find him. "Where's Jay? Is he ok?"

She rolled her eyes. "Apparently, he's fine enough to be running off back into danger. Honestly, you are all _insane…"_

Cole sagged with relief at hearing that Jay was alright, but then he remembered the other crisis on their hands.

"I have to go back." he said suddenly. Keyda looked at him, confused.

"Go back? Go back _where?_ You can't even…"

"They can't connect with him…I have to wake him up…" Cole continued, sounding panicked, but Keyda just shook her head in irritation.

"You aren't making any _sense!"_

Cole was looking around the pillar. He could see Garmadon and the Ultra-Dragon.

"Garmadon…in the limbo world. He's fading and they won't be able to save him unless I go back…"

Keyda grabbed him, looking at him intently. " _What are you talking about_?! We saved you from the Limbo world…you _can't_ go back."

He looked at her, brows knit. She looked angry…and scared.

"Keyda…I've been pulled there over and over ever since you woke me up that first time. I thought it was nightmares, but then…"

" _What?"_

"It's every time I fall asleep!" Cole explained. "But I always wake up…so it's not like it was when I first went there. I don't know why, or how...but Garmadon's still there and he's…"

She shook her head. "That shouldn't be happening, Cole… _why haven't you told anyone!?"_

He swallowed; they were getting off track and Garmadon didn't have much time.

"He's fading, Keyda, and unless I go back they won't be able to connect with him…"

"They can't connect _anyways."_ she argued. "I couldn't link to him…I already tried. Wu's plan failed; Garmadon's already doomed."

"No, he's not…that's why I brought Lloyd the gloves; if he and Wu make the connection then it _will_ work!"

Keyda couldn't wrap her mind around everything he was saying. Cole had been going to limbo? Was that were he was just before she woke him up? And what _gloves_...

She suddenly remembered the orbs the green kid had been throwing.

"The Baron's gloves?!" she accused. "What could you _possibly_ be…" she stopped as another thought struck home.

"You said you brought them to him…" she said softly, and she noticed that his expression began to look a little guilty. She couldn't believe it.

"You got caught on _purpose?!"_ She was basically shaking him now, fuming.

"Keyda…I had to, otherwise…"

"You promised you would stay in the _cave!"_ she continued.

"I _did!_ They found us there!"

"So you were supposed to get as far away as possible! Cole, he nearly _killed you!"_ She shook him again. "When are you going to learn that _you aren't invincible!?"_

He grimaced; her grip on his shoulders was getting quite painful, but Keyda was too angry to care.

"Keyds…"

" _Don't call me that!"_

"Keyda, I know you're angry, but Garmadon doesn't have much time…"

"The monster?! _That's who you're worried about right now!?"_

"The real Garmadon isn't a monster…he's a good man and he's _fading away_! You have to let me go back…"

She had stopped shaking him, but she didn't stop glaring.

" _NO._ If you go back every time you sleep, then I'm keeping you awake until we can figure out how to fix it… _forever."_

He glared back. "I have to help him!"

"No you don't!" Her eyes swam with angry tears. "You _don't_ have to….you've never _had_ to take _any_ of these risks…so why do you _keep taking them?"_

He was getting angry himself; Garmadon was nearly gone, and he could do something about it if she would just _let him!_

"Compared to everything else we've done, this is hardly a risk! I always wake up…I won't get stuck there…"

"You don't know that! You aren't even supposed to be going back there _at all!"_

"Even if it was a risk, it's my risk to take! It's my decision!"

"Your decisions keep getting you closer to getting _killed_ ,Idiot!"

"You want to talk about risks… _you've_ been taking plenty of them over the past week. Why is this any different than you helping us, or standing up to the Baron, or agreeing to rule the Oni…"

"Because there was always something to be gained!" she shouted at him. "Don't you get it?! _I_ don't have anything to gain from you going back into Limbo… but I could end up losing you. And that is one risk I'm not willing to take." She swallowed and looked away. "I'm not letting you go back…so just drop it already."

He looked back over at where Garmadon was fighting with the figures on the back of the Ultra-Dragon. Wu and Lloyd were glowing; they were ready to make the connection…but soon there would be nothing to connect to. He turned back to Keyda; she was sitting next to him, crying openly now. He shivered in the cold, trying to figure out what to say to her.

"Why did you save me…that first time?" he finally asked. She didn't answer.

"You were supposed to be catching a dragon," he prompted. "Your whole future depended on it. But instead you took the time to break my fall and save my life. You said that you only take risks that you can benefit from…but what benefit could come from saving a stranger?"

Her jaw was clenched as she shrugged.

"I wanted to take you to the Baron…"

"No, you didn't. You were upset when the Baron showed up and found us… you didn't want us to have anything to do with him. Why did you _really_ save me that day?!"

Her fists tightened as he continued.

"You can't answer it…because you don't know why, do you?"

"Shut up." she said, refusing to look at him.

"You want to know why you saved me? Because you _could._ I'm not saying you were attempting to be a hero…you didn't weigh all the options to make your decision. In that moment something in you realized that you were the only thing standing in the way of me and death and you decided to do something about it. That feeling is the same reason I've been taking all these stupid risks. I don't _want_ to die, Keyda. But there isn't anybody else who can take these chances…it's just me standing in the way between someone and an awful fate. We can't just let him disappear…regardless of the consequences that would have on the realm, it wouldn't be _right!"_

"You're obsessed with doing the 'right thing', you know that?" she said quietly. "But how do you know that _this_ is the right thing? What does that even _mean?_! Who's to say that you should sacrifice your life to save him instead of him sacrificing _his_ to keep _you_ safe?"

He didn't answer right away, and they could hear Garmadon yelling in the distance. He reached over and took her hand. She let him…but she still didn't look at him.

"I'll be fine…I promise. The only life on the line in this is his…and if I don't do this, then everything we've risked and sacrificed up to this point would be for nothing."

She sniffed softly, staring at the ground.

"Last risk…then, I'll stay in a hospital room for a month if you want me to."

He shivered again; he was so tired. Her grip on his hand tightened.

"But Cole…if I lose you..." she said, finally speaking.

"Keyda… _look_ at me." he said, and she finally looked over. Despite her glare he could tell that she was more scared than angry. He gave her a little smile.

"It's going to be ok. I _promise_." he said gently. His heart pounded as he took another risk.

He leaned in and kissed her. He felt her stiffen, and he half expected her to strike him down right then and there. She didn't.

He pulled away and she just looked stunned. She blinked a few times and in the silence that followed his eyelids grew heavier. For a moment she looked like she was going to shake him back awake, but then she stopped.

"You had _better_ wake up…" she finally said.

His vision blurred again…his last thought was that she was still holding his hand.

 _ **105**_

" _Nyyyyyaaaaaaa"_

The call echoed down the corridors, and Nya's heart pounded. It was Jay…he had come looking for her. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved because he could help her against Harumi…or worried because Harumi would be able to target him.

She heard the soft scuff of a footstep…Harumi was moving now. The Water Ninja tried to pinpoint where the quiet one was, but it seemed Harumi had gotten that nickname for a reason.

Nya practically held her breath, not wanting to give away her own location.

" _Nyyyyyaaaaaaaaaa!"_

She needed to let Jay know where she was, and warn him about what he was walking into. But she couldn't do either without letting Harumi know where to aim her spear. They waited in the dark for a few more moments, and then the self-proclaimed Empress struck.

The Spear sparked against the stone just to Nya's left; somehow or another, she had known where Nya was. In the quick-dying light from the sparks, Nya could make out Harumi as well. In seconds she had rolled out of the way as Harumi struck again.

 _Zane_

Zane created columns of ice in an effort to stabilize the entrance to the tunnels. Kai had wanted to go running in to find his sister, but the nindroid had advised against it. It was already dangerous having two of their teammates in a collapsing tunnel system; having Kai running around would be more of a hazard than a help.

Kai blasted at any bikers that came their way; if he wasn't allowed in the tunnels, than they _definitely_ weren't.

"What do we do if the tunnels collapse completely with them inside?" Kai asked, panicking.

"I do not know…for now we need to hold on to the hope that they will make it out before that happens."

 _Lloyd_

"Wu…I can't find him!" Lloyd said, his face scrunched in concentration. As he searched with the Oni aura, it was like he could _sense_ his father without actually pinpointing him. Cole had mentioned that his father had been fading…were they already too late?!

"He's there…" Wu called back, but he was running into the same problems. "We just have to keep trying…."

Garmadon laughed cruelly beneath them.

 _Jay_

Jay stopped walking. There was no point in continuing walking if he didn't know where to go. Why wasn't Nya _answering?!_

He let his lightning wink out so that the crackling wouldn't distract him from hearing what other sounds were echoing in the tunnels. He hated waiting…but something told him that was exactly what was needed. After a few moments he thought he could hear scuffling noises…like a fight. He began running towards the sound.

 _Cole_

The Limbo world had become cold as well, and Cole shivered as he finally reached Garmadon.

" _WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"_

The older man didn't react in any way, and the Master of Earth groaned in frustration.

"We're so close!" he yelled. "You told me that it had to be Wu and Lloyd… they're _UP_ there right now! _They're trying to connect with you!"_

Was it really all going to fall apart right now, right at the finish line?!

Another bolt flashed around them, purple this time.

" _C'MON!"_ Cole yelled again. Yelling had worked last time…why wasn't it working now? "I know you've been here awhile, but you can't give up. You're _Garmadon!_ You're like the _definition of 'never quits'!"_

 _Nya_

Nya fired water all around her. Since Harumi already knew _her_ location, she might as well try and figure out where that she-devil was hiding. The water splashed across the walls and pooled on the floor. Nya stood rigid; Harumi wouldn't be able to move around in the ankle-deep water without making some kind of splash, giving away her position.

" _Nya? Are you down here?"_

Jay was getting closer, and Nya swallowed. She heard splashing to her right and jumped backwards. There was a metallic clang as the spearhead hit the stone wall where she had been standing.

Nya could hear someone running towards them. There was a glimmer of light crackling in the distance; Jay's lightning.

"Careful Jay!" she finally called out, immediately moving so that Harumi couldn't shish-kabob her. Her heart pounded in her ears as the glimmer of light came closer.

"Nya!" she could hear the relief in his voice. "Why weren't you answering?"

"It's Harumi! _Be careful!_ " she called. There was more splashing as Harumi tried to stab her once again and Nya dodged out of the way. Jay's light was helping her catch glimpses of the metal spear; at least she knew where that was.

"What?! Where?!"

Nya dodged as the glinting spear struck out again and again.

"Nya!? Are you alright?!" Jay's voice sounded panicked now. Nya backed up and ran into some rubble. It was quite a large pile, and an idea suddenly struck. She climbed up onto the rubble, getting clear of her own puddle of water.

"Jay…fire _now! Aim for the ground!"_ she yelled. She hoped he would just listen for once, instead of questioning it.

A bolt of lightning lit the hall as Jay fired low towards where he could hear Nya. It hit the puddle and there was a scream and a splash as Harumi dropped the spear in the water, and then a second splash as she collapsed into it. Nya closed her eyes in relief as Jay ran forward into the puddle.

"Oh my gosh, who screamed?! Was that you, or Harumi...Nya?! Where are you!?"

"I'm right here, Jay," she said, grabbing his arm. He cried out—she must have scared him. Though, it almost sounded like he was in pain…

The walls around them suddenly started to rumble; apparently the already compromised tunnels didn't appreciate being electrocuted.

"We have to get out of here," Jay said, wrapping an arm around her, protectively.

"Wait." Nya said, pulling away. "Give me some light…"

Jay's hand lit up and Nya was able to pick Harumi out. She was passed out in the shallow puddle, and Nya ran over to her.

"Ohhh… _now_ I get what you were doing…" Jay said as he caught sight of the unconscious villain. Nya slung one of Harumi's arms over her shoulders and stood up.

"Let's get out of here. Do you know the way to the exit?"

"I'll have you know, I'm very good at mazes, Nya. I've got quite the memory for them." He flashed her a mischievous smile and she couldn't help but smile herself. While rolling her eyes, of course.

"A little help here, Jay?" she called. He looked over at where she was struggling to hold all of Harumi's dead weight. He looked down at his flashing hand and back.

"Oh…ok. But, we'll have to go without the light…" he said as his hand winked out. A few moments later she felt him lift Harumi from the other side.

"Why can't you use your other arm?" she asked as they took off down the tunnel.

"I…..can't really use that arm….at the moment." he said vaguely.

" _What?_ Why not?! What happened?!"

They heard splashing as the tunnel behind them was collapsing into the puddle.

"I'll explain as soon as we get out of here!" Jay promised. Nya huffed.

"Fine. I'll add it to the _list_ of things you need to fill me in on."

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd tried to tune out the sound of Garmadon's laughter. His dad…his _real_ dad was in there somewhere, and he was going to find him! His heart pounded with the realization that if they couldn't save him now, he would never see him again. Not even in the departed realm, based on what little details Wu had given about this limbo void. He stretched his aura farther, trying desperately to find the man who he had idolized so much for nearly his entire life.

 _Cole_

" _PLEASE!"_

Cole continued to yell as the flashes appeared again and again. They wouldn't connect to him…he was too far gone. Cole wanted to throw up; they had been so _close_.

"You have to wake up…we got sent to an entirely different realm just to find the person who could help you! So much has happened…so much more _will_ happen…if you just fade away. The monster out there now is going to kill people!"

Garmadon still didn't stir, and Cole yelled out in frustration as he continued to shiver.

"He hurt _Lloyd!_ He hurt your son…he injured him so badly that Lloyd doesn't even have his powers anymore! Imagine what he'll do to him if you don't wake up _right now!"_

There was a stir, then, and Cole felt a flash of hope.

"Your son's out there…he's trying to find you. He _needs_ you to come back…we all do. Heck, Ninjago's fate rests on it!"

Another stir, and Garmadon slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Cole with dazed confusion.

"What…are you doing here?"

As he woke, his form seemed to become more substantial. Cole almost cried with relief.

"You're awake! _You're awake_ …oh, I thought it was too late there for a second, but you woke up…"

Garmadon struggled to sit up, and Cole tried to help him, but his hand went through him.

"Oh yeah…forgot about that." he said, looking down at it.

Garmadon's breathing was slow, and he wasn't totally coherent, but Cole had to hope that it was enough for a connection now. He looked around and waited for another flash.

 _Wu_

Wu tightened his grip on the Harness as the Dragon below him ducked and weaved. He had tried to connect so many times now…his aura was basically gone. He knew deep down he would only be able to try once more. He grit his teeth and sent out the aura.

 _Brother…please…you have to be in there somewhere…_

There was that familiar glimmer, the one he had been aiming for this entire time. He swallowed and sent the aura for one last shot.

Dark Garmadon yelled out as he felt the connection latch on.

24


	23. Part 22

Nicki's Story

 _ **106**_

Keyda sat rigidly. There was still yelling…rumbling…explosions… but she ignored it all as she watched him. She found herself waiting for him to take every breath. He didn't look like he was in any kind of distress; the Idiot just looked like he was sleeping.

She swallowed, trying to come to terms with what was happening. Cole was back in limbo…and she had _let_ him go. How was it that he always managed to talk her into his reckless plans? She kicked herself mentally; she shouldn't have backed down.

As she stared at him, her thoughts turned back to the kiss. That's what that was, right? She had been trying not to think about it…but she couldn't just ignore it. _Where did he get the audacity_? Didn't he say that kissing was a _romantic_ gesture?! Didn't he know she would hate it?

….Did she hate it? She groaned out loud, frustrated by everything going on. Regardless of how she felt about it, he had done it and then promptly fallen asleep…possibly never to wake up again. She didn't know much at all about romance…but even so she knew that was an incredibly maddening move on his part. She glared at him.

"You. Are. An _Idiot."_ she muttered, squeezing his hand. She decided that it was time to think of something else…like how she would know when to wake him up and give him a piece of her mind. At what point would she know that the Monster was beyond saving? She wasn't about to just leave Cole in limbo, waiting for some miracle. Maybe she would just wake him up _now…_ but at this point, she might as well see if he could pull it off.

She heard a roar and it snapped her out of her thoughts. She stretched to look around the pillar. Garmadon seemed really angry about something…had they made the connection? Then why hadn't it worked? She watched in horror as he launched a large attack; the dragon dodged, but the attack hit the blonde kid on the back. Lloyd didn't have far to fall, but the bigger threat was the person waiting for him on the ground.

 _Cole_

"What's happening?"

Sensei Garmadon was struggling against the golden connection, still not lucid enough to realize its meaning.

"Leave it alone! It's half of your ticket out of here!" Cole said. Garmadon stopped pulling and looked at Cole again.

"You really shouldn't be here…"

"We can stew over that later," he answered, looking up into the vast greyness. "C'mon, Lloyd…"

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd managed to pull off a rolling landing without hurting himself, but he wasn't able to dodge the blast sent by the husk of his father.

"Stop…" he cried out as the he hit the ground. "Don't you see? We're trying to help…to _save_ you, Dad…"

"You misguided fool…you are wrong about so many things."

Lloyd stood up, getting into a defensive stance. Garmadon just shook his head as he came closer.

"But earlier, you said something that you were right about." He powered up all four arms, pointing them at Lloyd. "Your father _is_ dead… and soon, you will be too."

" _NO…_ " Lloyd said, but instead of getting ready for a fight, he closed his eyes. His aura glowed again as Garmadon prepared to fire.

 _I know you're in there, Dad…_

 _Garmadon_

A purple flash came ripping into the realm, slamming into Garmadon. The man's eyes cleared fully as the two bonds began pulling him away. He turned, his last sight of the limbo realm a figure in black, smiling in relief and shivering.

 _Ninja_

Jay, Nya and Harumi burst into the sunlight.

"Nya!" Kai said, obviously relieved. He ran over to give her a hug, while Zane moved in to help with the unconscious Harumi.

"What should we do with her?" Jay asked. With Harumi's weight taken off of him, he was realizing how bad his arm was throbbing, and he held it close to his body with his other hand.

"Perhaps just restraining her will be best for now, until the proper authorities arrive…" Zane said, moving Harumi to a nearby spot where she could be tied up once again. Nya looked over and gasped as the full light gave her a good view of Jay's shoulder.

"Oh my gosh! Jay, what _happened?!"_

He didn't get a chance to answer, because just then another power surge ripped through the air.

 _Garmadon_

Garmadon had been a breath away from firing on Lloyd, planning on putting an end to him once and for all. But that's when he felt the tug.

" _NOOOOOOO!"_ He screamed as something swelled up inside, and finally the feeling seemed to explode out of him. Lloyd was knocked to the ground once again as the surge ripped across the temple grounds. The tunnels collapsed completely, shooting dust and chunks of ice out of the entrance as Zane's pillars were crushed with the rest of the structure. The Ultra-Dragon was flung through the air and Wu was barely able to hang on; his energy was gone, and it was all he could do to stay awake.

Then, just like that, there was silence. Even the S.O.G had stopped fighting with P.I.X.A.L and Skylor as everyone waited to see what had become of the Dark Emperor.

Lloyd saw him first.

" _DAD!"_

He pushed himself up with shaky arms and sprinted to the figure lying on the ground. Gone was the black skin and weeping ribs. An older man with mussed grey hair woke up to see a blue sky directly above him and he sighed in relief. A second later, a figure in green dive-bombed him.

"Lloyd…"

He said it with a laugh as he hugged his son back. Lloyd laughed as well, but the laughter was soon marred with tears as he buried his face into his father's shoulder, still hugging him fiercely. Garmadon swallowed hard, his own eyes misty.

"You're back…you're back…" Lloyd kept saying.

"I'm back." Garmadon confirmed softly.

"Brother."

Garmadon looked up to see Wu dismount the dragon.

"Wu!" he said happily, but then his expression became confused. "You seem…younger, little brother. And I can't recall ever seeing that armor before…"

"It's a long story." Wu said with a smirk as he went in for a hug. "But it seems we will finally have the time to tell it all."

"It's him! He's back!"

The other ninja came running in for a large group hug.

"We didn't dogpile him last time…I think we shouldn't pass up this opportunity…" Jay said with a smirk. Nya rolled her eyes.

"With your shoulder like that? I think you should resist the urge, Jay."

Garmadon took all the hugging in stride, though he still felt pretty disoriented. But as he looked at the gathered crowd, and then back over at his son, he knew that understanding would come in time. For now, he was just happy to be alive.

 _ **107**_

Keyda felt the surge go by and looked up in panic, thinking it would cause more of the pillar to collapse. It didn't, and she sighed in relief.

"What _was_ that?" she muttered to herself, not sure if she should be hoping for the best or expecting the worst.

 _"Dad!"_

She heard Lloyd yell out and turned to get a better look at the situation. She watched as the blonde kid hugged an unfamiliar man. Her heart gave a twist. Was that him? Was it over? Had it _worked?!_ It was when she saw Wu hugging him and the others running over that she knew.

She turned to Cole and shook him, trying to wake him up.

"It's over now…you can wake up…. _please_ wake up…"

For a few horrible seconds nothing happened, but then he opened his eyes.

"Keyda? I…I think it worked….did it work? Is he back?" he mumbled, a little incoherently. She almost cried as she hugged him.

" _Yes,_ you Idiot. It's over now. It's…." she trailed off as she realized how badly he was trembling. She swallowed, and her relief was replaced by a gnawing worm of worry.

"Cole…you're shaking…."

"I'm fine." he replied as he hugged her back. "It's just so cold out here…"

"No, it isn't…" she pulled back to get a better look at him. He looked tired, and relieved, but something was off…

"Something's not right." she said as she touched his face. He was still shaking as he repositioned himself.

"I'm _fine_ …" he protested again, but his breathing had become shallower. That's when she noticed that he almost looked _blurry_ at the edges…

"Oh…you Idiot…" she breathed, panic and bile rising. "What have you done?"

He looked down at his hand and noticed the fading edges of himself. He took a shaky breath and looked back up at her.

"Get Wu."

 _Wu_

Wu sank back against the Ultra-Dragon, feeling utterly exhausted. But as he looked at everyone cheering and hugging, he smiled. For the first time in a long while, he felt like the crushing burden was lifted and he could finally relax…

" _WU!"_

Keyda's panic-stricken cries cut like a knife into the jovial tones of the reunion. Wu sat up, concerned. The rest of the group didn't really seem to register the yelling until it continued.

" _HELP! YOU'VE GOT TO HELP HIM!"_

Most of the group was looking around now, confused. Jay suddenly made a strangled sound and took off running, having realized who she was talking about. Everyone else just looked at each other, still not really sure what was going on. They had just won…hadn't they? What could possibly be going wrong now?

"They're behind that pillar!" Jay yelled, still running. Everyone took off after him-even Garmadon, helped by Lloyd, made his way over.

Cole was leaning up against the stone column, looking worse than anyone had seen him. He was breathing heavily and shaking hard. Keyda was kneeling in front of him. She turned to Wu as everyone approached, her eyes wide with dread.

"Help him." she said, her voice cracking. The ninja all were looking on with expressions of horror and disbelief.

"What happened to him? You said he was _fine_ …" Jay said. This did _not_ look like Cole was fine…

" _HELP HIM!"_ Keyda yelled, still looking at Wu. Wu knelt next to his student, who looked over at him with tired eyes. He was blurred on the edges, like a drawing being erased. The Dragon Master shook his head; he had no idea what was even going on.

"What's wrong with him?" Kai asked, sounding panicked. "What's happening?"

"I…I do not know…" Wu said. By this point, Garmadon and Lloyd had reached the group.

"Let me see him!" Garmadon said, his voice still as stern as any of them could remember. Those in his way quickly moved, but Keyda gave him a murderous look.

"This is all your fault!" she spat. "He went back into the limbo to get you out…and now _look_ at…"

"What do you mean, went back into the limbo?" Wu cut in sharply. It was Cole who answered him.

"I get pulled back there…every time I fall asleep…."

"How is that possible…" Wu breathed. Garmadon had knelt as well to get a better look.

"I'm afraid she's right…this is my fault." he finally said. Everyone turned to him in surprise, except Keyda, who continued to glare. He looked over at his brother with a look of tired regret.

"I had to get a message out…I had been there so long, I knew I didn't have much time. I was desperate to tell you how to save me and I discovered that I could link to Cole due to his time in the void with me. But in doing so, I must have created a tether between him and the limbo world….I didn't _realize_ …"

"A tether? What does that mean?" Jay panicked, butting in. Garmadon sighed heavily.

"It means that his soul has been pulled between our world and the void multiple times…but the limbo world is not meant to be escaped…and it definitely isn't meant to be visited more than once."

"What are you getting at, Dad?" Lloyd asked. Garmadon turned back to Cole, who continued to shiver uncontrollably.

"It's put too much strain on his soul…he's…" Garmadon looked for the right word. "He's… _unraveling…_ in a way…"

" _What!?_ How…how do we stop it?" Jay asked as Cole's eyes grew large. He was shaking harder now.

Garmadon frowned, shaking his head.

"I'm afraid I don't know."

"You better figure it out." Keyda's voice was menacing. "It's your fault he's as damaged as he is...your fault this is happening to him now…if he _dies…."_

"Keyda." Wu interrupted, turning to face the terrified Oni. "We are going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen…"

"We need to break the tether," Zane chimed in solemnly.

"How? You're the nindroid…how do we fix this?" Kai asked. The ninja started all talking at once, trying to figure out what to do.

As they argued, Wu closed his eyes to summon aura for a connection. If a connection is what was needed to bring a soul from limbo, perhaps he would be able to break the tether in the same way. But nothing happened; there was nothing left. He realized with dismay that all of his aura-and _energy_ —had all been spent in saving Garmadon.

 _What do I do now?_

"Master Wu?"

The Dragon master looked up at Cole, who was gazing at him with a look of fear.

"What's going to happen to me? Will I even go to the departed realm…or…" he trailed off, taking another shaky breath. "Wu…I'm scared."

His sensei looked at him, his own expression full of regret and horror.

"I…I don't know Cole." He watched as his student shuddered, and the fading spread a little more. "I'm so sorry…"

"I took too many…risks." Cole said. "It's not…your fault…"

"I'm your _teacher_ ," Wu's voice broke. "I'm supposed to have the answers."

They both fell silent for a minute, and Wu looked up at the ninja, trying to discern if anyone had come up with an idea.

"Wu." Cole spoke again. "If this is the end…"

"Do not give up hope; we will figure this out!" his sensei replied, looking back at him as Cole continued.

"I wanted to thank you…for looking for me on that mountain…for finding me…" his voice trailed off as he seemed to be fighting to stay awake.

"We can't let him fall asleep again!" It was Garmadon who cut in this time. "If he falls asleep now, we won't get him back."

Keyda shook him awake, tears in her eyes.

"You _promised!"_ She reminded, her voice breaking again.

Jay pushed his way forward.

"Move…let me…if there's one thing I'm an expert at, it's keeping Cole awake." he said, trying to push in. Keyda shoved him away, glaring.

"You've all done _enough_ damage!" she hissed.

"You've got to let me…" Jay said, trying again.

" _NO."_

The Master of Lightning had had it.

"Do you think you're the only one who cares about him!?" he was yelling at her now. Her eyes flashed purple, but he didn't seem to care. "Do you know how long we've known each other? The things we've _gone_ through together!?"

"You _hurt_ him…" she started, but Jay cut her off.

"Do you have any idea what it's like, waking up from _mind_ control to find out your _nearly killed your best friend?!_ Yeah, we hurt him…but because we were _forced to!_ But now… I'm not going to sit back and watch my best friend…my _brother…_ fade away. Not when there's something I can do… _So MOVE!"_

Everyone had gone silent as Jay yelled. Nya swallowed hard, a few more pieces of the unknown puzzle falling into place. In the silence following Jay's outburst, everyone looked at Keyda and waited for her to explode.

Her eyes flashed again, but then surprised everyone by standing up and backing off.

"Fine… _fine._ If you can save him, then do it."

Jay knelt in the space Keyda had left, shaking Cole to keep him awake. When it didn't seem to be working, he sent a little zap. Cole gasped and his eyes flew open.

"OW, _Jay!"_ he cried out of habit. As he blinked he noticed his friend's determined face…and his wounded shoulder.

"That's right, pal, I will resort to shocking you if you try to fall asleep…"

"Jay…your arm…"

"Yeah, a lovely present I got when I was saving your life. So if you go ahead and die anyways, I will consider it a _personal_ insult…" he gave him another shake. "So stay awake, ok? Wu and Garmadon are going to figure it out…"

"I'm…trying…" Cole said, shuddering again. "Jay, it's so _cold."_

"Just stay with me…"

 _Keyda_

What was the point of saving a world that wasn't even hers, if she lost the only thing she actually cared about? There was so much inside…anger, hatred, guilt, regret, pain, grief, and even that stubborn flicker of hope. Keyda hugged herself, feeling like she had to physically hold herself together. She watched as Wu and Garmadon talked with the other ninja….trying to figure out what to do. She watched as Jay zapped Cole to keep him awake.

She was crying. After everything, she was going to lose him. He was literally fading away in front of their eyes. She realized that this was it; this was the result of his final risk. _How could she have let him do it?_ She would never forgive herself. She would never forgive _any_ of them.

"Keyda…"

It was Zane, most likely here to tell her some logical reason as to why everything was going to be alright….

She shook her head before he even had a chance to say anything.

"What's the _point?_ " she murmured, still crying.

"What do you mean?" Zane asked carefully. He reached out a hand to comfort the Oni, but she pulled away.

"What's the point in _feeling?!"_ she asked angrily. "What's the point in having emotions, when at the end of the day all we really feel is _pain?!"_

Zane frowned. "I know it seems that way…but you have to have hope that Wu and Garmadon will…"

" _I'm tired of having hope!"_ she yelled at him. "I'm tired of feeling…. _how do I make it go away_?!"

"It…is not _possible._ " the nindroid tried to think of what to say. "Emotions, feelings; they are an important part of life. We need them in order to…"

She shook her head... "I just want it to stop…I don't want to feel anymore…I don't want to feel _anything anymore_ …"

Zane watched her, feeling helpless.

"I know it seems like a burden…but going through life _with_ feelings, even when some of those are grief, or pain…it is still better than having nothing. Apathy…numbness…that is no way to live."

" _How would you know?!"_ she yelled back.

"Because I am a nindroid…we are not even _meant_ to have emotions…but I do. And despite the pain, the fear, and even the loss…I view emotions as a blessing." He reached out again, and this time she didn't pull away at the hand on her shoulder.

"He is not gone, and we will figure this out."

 _ **108**_

"I'm afraid I don't have any twos, Dareth…go fish." Ed said, inspecting his hand of cards carefully. The brown ninja sighed and drew from the pile in front of him. REX had been flying all over for a few hours, always making sure to stay out of the following S.O.G's firing range without leaving them behind.

Worry gnawed at each of the adults in the airship, but with nothing to do but wait, some had resorted to passing the time with card games.

Ronin drove in silence, every few minutes glancing at the com-link. It suddenly went off and he let out a sigh.

"About time…" he grumbled before switching it on. "Nya! You finally remember to fill us in, huh?"

The adults in the back of the ship made eye contact as they heard Ronin talking on the com-link. Did they do it? Or had things gone badly? Nya's voice crackled through the system.

"They did it…Wu and Lloyd did it! They got him back!"

The ship exploded into cheers. Ed and Edna hugged while Misako sank back into her chair in relief. Dareth was yelling and pounding his fists in the air. Lou sighed in relief, but there was still a worm of worry that twisted inside.

"Guess that means we're finally allowed to come join the party?" Ronin asked dryly, adjusting his course so they were headed towards the temple. A few minutes went by with everyone talking and celebrating…only Ronin heard the com-link crackle back on line. The pilot listened to Nya's frantic update, his brow furrowing. He hung up the call with a heavy sigh, wishing he didn't always have to deliver the bad news.

"Guys… _guys!"_ he said sharply. The fanfare in the back of the airship died down when they heard his tone. He flipped the autopilot switch, turning in his chair.

He made eye contact with the performer sitting in the back, and Lou's worm of worry grew.

"It's Cole…" Ronin said regretfully. Lou's jaw clenched as the pilot continued. "They don't know what's wrong…but Nya's afraid he's not going to last much longer…"

"Then can you get us there any faster?!" Lou cut in. His sharp tone left everyone silent and he looked down. "…Please."

Ronin turned and switched off the autopilot and pushed hard on the steering.

"I'll do what I can."

 _Ninja_

"Can't you just pull him out, like you did before?" Kai asked. They stood in a group, trying to figure out what to do. Each of them couldn't help glancing over to where Jay sat with Cole, trying to keep him awake.

"I can't muster any aura…" Wu said unhappily. Kai groaned angrily.

"You mean to tell me we have _both_ sons of the First Spinjitzu Master and two nindroids and we still don't have any ideas on how to save him?!"

"Kai…we don't even know what's _happening_ to him." Nya said, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder to calm him down.

"The Limbo world is trying to pull him back," Garamdon replied. "He's been strong enough to resist the pull up to this point, apart from being asleep or unconscious. But now he's weaker, the pull is harder, and the strain is making itself known."

"I don't know much about the situation…but why don't we just let him go back to this 'limbo world' before he gets torn apart?" Skylor asked. "If you got him out once, you could do it again, couldn't you?"

"Not without both Dragon and Oni aura connections." Wu said.

"But once you've rested for a bit, surely…" Nya tried, but the sensei shook his head.

"By that point, he'll have faded too much to rescue," Garmadon said. "Our only chance is to somehow break the tether."

"Alright…so any ideas on _how_ to do that _?"_ Kai asked. The indecision was causing him to get angrier. Where was Zane? He looked over and saw him standing next to a distressed Keyda.

"Zane!" he yelled, and the nindroid looked over. Kai waved him over angrily; if they were going to be able to save Cole, they needed to be firing on all cylinders… _especially_ the cylinders that were programed to solve problems. Zane looked a little conflicted. He turned and said something to Keyda, but she didn't even acknowledge him. Then he made his way back over to the group.

"We have to break the tether…like you said." Kai said, filling him in. "But have you figured out how to do that yet?!"

Cole yelled out as Jay had to zap him again. Everyone glanced over and then back at Zane.

"How did you make the tether in the first place?" Zane asked, turning to Garmadon. The recently-returned master frowned.

"I didn't mean to create the tether…I spent a lot of time trying to connect to Cole. The connection failed several times, but just when I thought hope was lost, the link was made."

"But _how?!_ And how do we fix it?!" Kai asked.

"It's hard to explain," Garmadon retorted. He still didn't feel fully recovered from his own time in the limbo world, and he had a horrible headache that was making it hard to think. He glanced over at the Master of Earth; the fading was moving inward. The boy didn't have much time…but they didn't have any ideas.

 _Jay_

Jay grimaced at Cole's expression as he sent another shock into his friend.

"I know, it doesn't feel great…but you've got to stay awake." he said firmly. Normally in stressful situations, Jay was reduced to panicking…but he couldn't give in to panic now. "To make up for it, I won't even say 'I told you so' about this whole plan you had…"

Cole tried to roll his eyes. He swallowed as he looked at the resolute freckled face.

"Jay…I'm sorry…"

"S'alright, boulder brain….make it up to me by not dying…"

"I…I haven't always…been a good friend…I'm sorry for…"

"Nope." Jay cut him off unapologetically. "We are _not_ having this conversation right now."

Cole shuddered again. "I just…"

"If you have enough energy for a sappy ' _this is the end'_ speech, then you have enough energy to hang on a little longer. You're always telling me to talk less and fight more; well, now it's your turn."

Cole dropped it, shaking his head a little at his friend's attempts to keep the mood light. Jay smiled tightly, trying not to focus on the fading outline that was creeping inward.

 _P.I.X.A.L_

P.I.X.A.L stood back, observing. Processing. Trying desperately to figure out _some_ way out of the current crisis. Ninjago was finally safe; Garmadon had been returned to his former self, Harumi was in custody. Technically, they had accomplished their goal. But as she subconsciously calculated the rate at which Cole was fading a few yards away, she knew that this wouldn't feel like a victory if they didn't figure something out—and quick.

She had very little data on this "limbo" everyone kept referring to. In fact, she had never even heard of it before Wu had briefly explained Garmadon's plight in the Samauri X cave. Was it a realm? Or was it more like a space between realms, where things that fall behind get left and forgotten?

She shook her head, trying to clear it. She didn't have time to ponder over the peculiarities tied to the limbo void, whatever it may be. She organized the facts; the only way out of limbo was aura connection by links of Oni and Dragon power. From what she gathered, both were necessary…but Wu was out of energy. Was Dragon power truly necessary? Or was it that they just needed two bonds? Could a rescue be made with only one bond, if such a bond had elements of both Dragon and Oni in them?

What they needed was a back door…something that had not been tried yet. Her processors were running at full capacity as she blocked out the others around her, who were still arguing. She looked at each of her companions in turn, analyzing if any of them would have the means to make up for Wu's "dry well" as it were. When she got to Lloyd, she stopped. She blinked; it was like she had stumbled upon a back door, but it was bolted shut. Yet, she felt the need to share her findings with the rest of the group.

"Maybe Garmadon and Keyda together could pull him out…" Kai said, but the recently rescued sensei was shaking his head.

"A double dose of Oni power would harm more than help…besides, I don't think I have access to that power now myself. And even if I did I wouldn't dare risk using it…"

"Considering how fast he's fading, we should at least be willing to try!" Kai snapped back.

"There may be another way." P.I.X.A.L said; it was the first time she had input anything into the conversation and the arguing died down as the others turned to her. There was a flicker of hope in their eyes, and she hoped she had not lit it in vain.

"If rescue requires Oni and Dragon power, then it would make sense that a single aura bond with both signatures could be used to go in and break the tether…" she started.

"An accurate observation," Zane noted. "But P.I.X.A.L, where would we…?"

"Lloyd." she answered simply, pointing at the baffled green ninja.

"But the power Lloyd has now is Oni," Nya pointed out.

"And as Garmadon said, a double hit of dark power…" Wu started, but P.I.X.A.L was shaking her head.

"I do not refer to the power Lloyd has from the gloves…rather his original power."

Lloyd shook his own head, partly because he was still confused and partly because he couldn't deliver on what P.I.X.A.L was implying.

"Pix…I don't have my powers. And even if I _did…_ they were golden, like Wu's; I have Dragon power, not Oni…"

"I understand that you are blocked from your powers right now, Lloyd." P.I.X.A.L interrupted once again. "And I know that when you are in possession of your Golden power, it does carry a Dragon signature. Each of the elements combined creates that power. But from what I understand of your history, you gave up that golden power when you allowed each of the ninja to retain theirs. And you were left with energy-the green energy that you were known for."

"So…what? You're saying that the green power that Lloyd used to have was tied into all this Dragon and Oni stuff?" Kai asked, not really sure he was following the android's logic.

"As a direct relative of the First Spinjitzu Master, any power Lloyd had could arguably be directly connected with Dragon and Oni power. Your green energy was unique to any other element in my database. It had great destructive powers…and yet based on the quick recovery you have continually had for different injuries over the years, I am led to conclude they also had healing and protective qualities. I do not know if that energy is the result of a combination of Dragon and Oni power, or whether it is some new energy that has somehow evolved from a background in such power….but if you were able to get it back then I think it may be able to break the tether."

Everyone stared at her as the words sank in.

" _Anytime now!"_ came a yell from Jay and everyone glanced over to see that the fading was continuing to spread.

Lloyd shook his head again, looking defeated. "Pix, my powers…"

"I know it seems impossible." P.I.X.A.L said. "But impossible is all we have to work with right now…'impossible' may be Cole's only chance."

 _ **109**_

The cold and pain had been separate feelings at first. But as the minutes passed and the cold became unbearable, the icy burn seemed to meld with the agony in Cole's back and ribs.

Another shock jolted through him and he gasped. He had been falling asleep again.

 _Stay awake…stay awake…stay…awake…_

His body shook with the cold and the effort it took to not nod off. It hadn't been this hard before…but he also wasn't in this much pain before. There was a numbness creeping in that scared Cole as much as it relieved him. He had been in pain for so long…the tingling and then overall numbness inching along his hands and feet was almost welcome.

Almost.

The burning freeze seemed to have hit his brain…everything was a fog. He needed to stay awake…something bad would happen if he fell asleep…something bad…

Another shock. It caused his whole body to lurch, and he lashed out, groggy. Each time he began nodding off, the pain and the cold and the fear dulled. With each awakening it all crashed back into him.

 _"Cole...it's just me…it's ok."_

A voice broke through the fog, someone pushing back on his struggling arms.

" _Just stay awake…they're gonna come up with something…"_

He struggled a second longer before his brain finally seemed to make a connection through the frozen haze.

"…Jay…" He muttered, relaxing as he looked up at his friend. The freckled face smiled tightly. Cole knew that his friend was trying to seem calm, but even in his groggy state he could tell Jay was scared. He noticed Jays eyes dart down for a second, his expression worried. Cole followed his gaze and fear gripped tighter as he let out a strangled "Oh…"

 _Where were his hands?!_ The tingling in them had passed…he couldn't feel them at all anymore. But he hadn't realized what the numbness had meant; now that he was actually looking down…

He shuddered hard.

"It's ok! It's ok…Wu is going to fix you, Cole. You just have to stay awake…" Jay said quickly.

Panic joined the rest of Cole's inner jumble and he continued to stare dumbly at the empty space at the end of his wrists—which were tingling now themselves.

He looked back up at Jay, who swallowed hard at his friend's expression. That look of terror…it took Jay back to the Baron's cell, where he had seen Cole make the same expression over Zane's video feed. The Master of Lightening turned to the group huddled a yard or two away.

" _Anytime now_!" He yelled.

Cole glanced at the group, as a few of them looked his way with worried expressions. He let his gaze drift away, across the rubble strewn temple ground.

His gaze fell on a doubled over figure.

"Keyds…" he murmured, feeling a jolt of guilt. His promise…

The fog was creeping back into his head as the tingling crept up his limbs. She was probably so mad…he had really thought everything would be ok. This hadn't happened any of the other times.

Another shudder racked his body. The pain was dulling…

 _Stay awake…stay…_

 _Lloyd_

"I've tried…" Lloyd said, voice breaking as he looked over at his fading friend again. "I've tried to get them back, P.I.X…but I couldn't. We have more of a chance of Wu getting enough energy back for a connection than we do of me getting my powers back in the next five minutes…"

"We destroyed the Oni masks for a reason…" Nya tried, but Lloyd shook his head.

"I've tried to summon them since them…what could possibly have changed between then and now?"

"You have me now," Garmadon put a hand on his son's shoulder, and Lloyd looked up. "I know you can do this, son…"

The green ninja's eyes pricked with tears.

"But what if I _can't?!"_

"You have to try!" The voice came from behind them. They turned and noticed that Keyda had stood and made her way over to the huddle, though she still had her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to keep herself from falling apart. She looked at the blonde youth with desperate eyes.

"Don't you dare give up." she said hoarsely. She looked over to where Cole was. "He's an Idiot…but... _please…._ he doesn't deserve this."

Lloyd followed her gaze to their disappearing friend. Of _course_ Cole didn't deserve this…but Lloyd already knew he couldn't do what P.I.X.A.L had described. And to try now…with so much on the line…

 _What am I so afraid of?_

He clenched his jaw. Since when did fear of failure keep him from helping his friends? The loss of his powers had hit hard, and he had all but given up on getting them back…but suddenly doing so wasn't just about him anymore.

Jay

Another shock, and Cole cried out and tried to kick Jay with his legs, using his arms to push him away again.

"Stop…leave me alone…" he said, his eyes unfocused. Jay clenched his jaw. With each shock, Cole seemed to recognize him less. He grabbed at the disappearing arms, wincing as he tried to keep his friend from hurting himself more. He tried to ignore the pain in his shoulder as he pulled against Keyda's bonds.

"Cole, it's ok…"

"No more…please no more…"

Jay didn't know what to do. He swallowed hard, noticing that the fading was climbing up both Cole's arms and legs now.

Someone was suddenly kneeling next to Jay, and he looked over to see Lloyd's determined expression.

"Please tell me you have a plan…" Jay pleaded. Lloyd looked over at his father, who stood behind him.

"Your powers haven't left you, Lloyd…you just have to find them. If they had left completely your friends wouldn't be able to access their powers." Garmadon reminded. "You _can_ do this!"

Lloyd nodded, looking at his friend. He was still shaking, fighting against Jay. The Green Ninja felt another stab of panic…a moment of being totally overwhelmed…but he forced it aside and closed his eyes.

What his Dad said made sense; if his powers were gone, the ninja's powers would be gone too. So…what? They were buried deep down? How would he find them? He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You're allowing yourself to be blocked by fear," Garmadon said quietly. "You can't give into it… you must calm yourself and look inwards…"

The others had subconsciously drawn closer, waiting to see what would happen. Garmadon turned and gave them a look that reminded them to stay back and give Lloyd space. The blonde squeezed his eyes tighter, trying to search inward.

Fear. His father was right…there was so much of it. He had been carrying it along with him for so long, he had almost forgot what it was like to function without its ever-pressing hand. He had been afraid of losing his friends…and then, when he had thought he had, he was afraid of going on without them. He had been afraid that he wouldn't be able to lead those who had survived…or worse, lead them to their demise as he had thought he had led the ninja. He was afraid that his father was beyond saving…that he truly didn't care about him anymore. He had been afraid of facing him again. More than anything, he was afraid of failing, because when the Green Ninja failed, it felt like everyone around him had to bear the consequences of it.

But he didn't need this fear…he _didn't need it._ He had his friends back…his father back. So why was he still so scared? It struck him suddenly. Even if things were good now, they could take a turn for the worse at any minute. Take their current situation: they had finally defeated Harumi and Garmadon, but there was collateral damage. It seemed that no matter how much good they did, there was always some failure on the horizon. Some reason to be afraid. And though he had struggled with fear and won in the past, he did so knowing that he had the help of his friends, and most importantly his father, always on his side. Even when Garmadon had been departed, he knew that his father was still with him in a way. But fighting Harumi's puppet…that security had been shattered, and true fear had set in. If evil could taint even his father's seemingly unconquerable love for him, then it could taint anything. _Destroy_ anything. And Lloyd had been so powerless to stop it.

Powerless.

He searched deeper in himself. Was this powerlessness really just due to fear? Due to his own perception of personal helplessness? He shook his head in frustration. He didn't have time for fear anymore…or doubt or hesitation. This was about more than just him wanting his powers back, or feeling useless. If he couldn't do this, then who knew what would happen to Cole.

"C'mon! _"_ he muttered to himself, frustrated and angry. " _C'mon!"_

 _Jay_

Jay kept glancing over at Lloyd, waiting to see if he would be able to connect with his missing powers. He wasn't sure what the plan was after that point, but he knew Cole wasn't going to last much longer. His consciousness was fading more frequently now, and even the electric shocks he was sending were losing effectiveness. Cole wasn't even shaking as much anymore, though his skin was icy to the touch, where it hadn't disappeared yet…

"C'mon boulder brain!" Jay said angrily. "Keep fighting! You're supposed to be the strong one! The responsible one…. _you can't give up yet!"_

The fading had reached past Cole's elbows, climbing towards his shoulders. He had stopped struggling, becoming more listless.

Next to Jay, Lloyd was still meditating, face contorted. The Master of lightening looked at him and then back to his fading friend. He shut his eyes.

"Oh…please…"

 _Lloyd_

Flashes of failure seemed to be attacking Lloyd on all sides. The harder he dug for his powers, the more memories seemed to come, unbidden, of past mistakes. Opening the snakes' tombs…trusting Pythor…failing against the Overlord and breaking his ankle…getting caught… possessed…captured…locked up…losing Wu…trapping his friends on the bounty…facing his father alone…

He pushed each one away. He couldn't dwell in his failure now…he couldn't let himself get caught up in the fear each memory seemed to bring out.

 _I am not perfect…but I_ AM _The Green Ninja! I am a descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master, and I_ WILL _save my friend!_

The spark was so fleeting, Lloyd almost thought he had imagined it. He mentally dug in the place he had felt it glimmer.

A few moments went by with nothing, and then a second spark. And a third. Each flash seemed to bring with it a moment of crushing fear, but he shrugged it off as best he could, focusing instead on the hope that was building up.

It was his power…he knew it. He recognized it. He dug deeper and suddenly the sparks seemed to join together, forming bigger and bigger masses of green power. He laughed out loud in relief. It was here! It really had been here the whole time…

 _ **110**_

The group watched in amazement as Lloyd began to glow, wisps of green coming off of him.

"He did it…he found them…" Nya breathed, tears pricking her eyes. She knew how much Lloyd had been missing his powers…even if he hadn't talked to her much about it.

Lloyd sighed, his body sagging in relief as the glowing faded back into him. He turned and looked at his dad, his eyes once again a brilliant green.

"You were right…it was there the whole time. I don't know why it took me so long…"

"I knew you could do it, Lloyd…" Garmadon smiled, his hand still on his son's shoulder.

"What do I do now?" Lloyd said, looking over at Cole. "How do I break the tether?..."

Garmadon looked over at Wu, who walked over to join them.

"An aura link is achieved through meditation…but rather than looking for Cole, you will be looking for some kind of disturbance…the link that connects him to the limbo void."

"And that will bring him back?" Lloyd asked. Neither his father or Wu answered and Lloyd closed his eyes. After a few moments he began to glow again.

 _Lou_

As REX approached the temple, they saw S.O.G scurrying around, apparently with no real purpose now that Garmadon had been changed and Harumi had been captured. The airship breached the temple walls, and Lou scanned the area urgently. It wasn't hard for those on REX to spot everyone; they were all huddled in one corner of the temple grounds.

Those in the huddle looked up at the sound of the ship's engine.

"How…?" Kai began, but Nya looked over at him.

"I let them know…I just felt like we should keep them in the loop…"

By now, Ronin had landed the ship a few yards away and the door flew open. Lou stumbled out onto the temple ground, making his way over to them. Ed and Edna were close behind, followed by Dareth and Misako.

"Where's my son?" Lou demanded as he reached the group.

"I feel we should warn you…" Zane began, but Lou had already pushed past them. He caught sight of Cole and stopped dead.

He had been expecting to see his son in bad shape…but…

He stumbled backwards and Kai reached out and grabbed his arm to keep the performer from falling to the ground.

" _How_ could this even happen?" he asked hoarsely.

"Maybe you should sit down…" the Master of Fire suggested. The rest of the adults had reached the group by now.

"Woah...that's…that's pretty bad…" Dareth said, coming up short.

"We need to stay back," Nya ordered, turning to the adults. "Lloyd's trying to reverse it…but he needs space…"

"Lloyd…" Misako said, noticing the green aura. Despite the situation, she had a small smile. "His powers are back…"

"Reverse it…" Lou said, repeating Nya's words. He pulled away from Kai's grasp, turning on the ninja in anger. "My son is _disappearing!_ How could you have let this happen?!" He looked in Garmadon's direction, who was still standing near Lloyd. "You can save the world…but you couldn't save my son from…from whatever _this_ is?!" He gestured to the small group a few feet away.

"Lou…" Ronin started, having come over to join the group.

"Pop?"

Lou turned back around at the soft sound of Cole's voice. He had been looking down, but now he was looking over in the direction he had heard his father's voice. The fading had nearly reached his shoulder on one side, and was already creeping across his collarbone on the other.

Jay had looked over at the sound of arguing and Edna gasped and grabbed her husband's arm at the sight of Jay's shoulder and bound arm.

"Oh…Ed…"

"I'm ok, mom," Jay rushed to put her at ease, giving his parents a shaky smile. "It…it looks worse than it is…"

Lou was approaching slowly, though there wasn't much room by Cole with Jay, Lloyd, Garmadon, and Wu hovering around him. Jay watched him limp closer and finally stood and moved out of the way to make room for the only person Cole still recognized.

"Cole…" Lou knelt next to his son, who looked at him with worn out eyes. "What happened?"

"I...I don't remember…" Cole looked over at his fading shoulder. "I'm sorry Pop…I didn't know…"

Lou looked over at Lloyd, willing him to hurry and do whatever it was that was going to help his son. The green ninja's face was contorted in concentration, still glowing…but nothing seemed to be happening.

"Just…just hang on, son…" Lou said. He didn't know what to do…or even what to say. He was once again useless, possessing no skills or talents that could actually help in the situation. He silently cursed himself; what kind of father was he? His son was dying…and all he could do was watch. "Just prove to me again what you said to me all those years ago…you're a _fighter_ Cole…you can do this…"

The vanishing line inched up Cole's neck and down his chest. Cole glanced down before looking back over at his father's worried face.

"I don't think I can fight anymore…" he mumbled, his vision growing dimmer once again.

Lou looked over at Lloyd again.

" _Do something already!"_ he shouted, and Wu put a hand on his shoulder.

"Lloyd is doing everything he…"

Lou pulled away from the sensei, glaring daggers.

"Don't give me empty words…give me _my son back!_ You're the reason he got mixed up in all of this…this _ninja business_ in the first place…"

"I found it."

Lloyds voice cut in, and everyone turned to him. His eyes were still closed as he spoke. "I think I found it…but how do I break it?"

 _Lloyd_

It wasn't what Lloyd expected…he had assumed the tether would be like a rope. Instead, it was almost like he found a pathway of some kind. He realized that the tether wasn't something that had been towing Cole back to limbo; it had merely become the path of least resistance, like water running downhill. It made sense in a way…but it also complicated everything. How did he destroy a _pathway_? It wasn't like he could just cut through it, like if it _had_ been a rope.

"How do I break it?" he repeated, after explaining the situation to his father and uncle.

"We must disrupt the path…we must make it harder for him to get to the Limbo world than it is to stay here…" Garmadon ventured.

" _But how?_ " Lloyd could sense more of Cole's soul slipping away, following the strange trail. Disrupt the path? He sent out his power, trying to use his own energy to make a barrier on the path.

"Is it working?" he asked, jaw clenched in concentration.

Wu looked over at Cole, who was leaning against his anxious father. The vanishing line had seemed to slow, but it hadn't stopped. Wu watched with concern as it crept across his student's jawline.

"It's not enough." he said, answering Lloyd.

Lloyd pushed back against the tether's flow of energy, but the harder he pushed, the more resistance seemed to build up.

"I can't…deter it…"

"How could it have gotten this bad?" Wu murmured.

"We may have caught it too late," Garmadon answered with regret.

Lloyd grunted as he strained harder.

"I need help…I'm not strong enough!"

 _Keyda_

Keyda watched as the blonde struggled in some unseen battle. Her hands tingled with power; she longed to destroy something, to release all the pent up emotions that continued to make her feel as if she was going to blow apart. She avoided looking in Cole's direction, because she didn't want to know how much more of him was missing; the feelings inside were hard enough to control as it was.

"I need help! I'm not strong enough!" Lloyd called out, and something in her finally snapped.

She took long quick strides until she was sitting next to the kid in green, and she closed her eyes.

"Keyda, what…" Wu began, but she opened her eyes to glare.

"It's not like you can help him!" she snapped, and aura flared off of her in chaotic bursts. She closed her eyes again, struggling to control her aura so that it could search out the tether that Lloyd had described.

It didn't take her long to find the path. She could feel the energy surging, as well as the barricade that the boy next to her was trying desperately to use against the flow of the path. She added her aura to his, pushing back brutally against this force that was unraveling her friend. Despite her fierce effort, the energy seemed to push back just as hard. She clenched her jaw, summoning more power from who –knows-where as she made another attempt. At each failed effort she became angrier and more desperate. She was an Oni! She was made to _destroy things! Why would this path not yield?!_

"Keyda, be careful!" Wu called out, as power began to shoot off of her in chaotic spurts. Her hair began flying around her as her aura produced fierce gusts.

"What's happening?" Lou asked as the aural storm grew larger.

Garmadon looked grim as he looked at the Oni.

"It seems she's on the verge of an elemental overdrive…." he said, causing the other ninja to look up in alarm.

"An Oni Elemental overdrive?" Jay asked, eyes wide. "But…that would be…"

"Catastrophic." Zane said ominously.

"We've got to stop her!" Kai yelled as the winds grew stronger. Garmadon seemed to be on the same track of mind. He grabbed Keyda's shoulder and pulled her away from his son and out of her mediation.

"This will not help, girl…you must…"

" _Don't touch me!"_ she yelled, the aura coming out stronger as she glared at him. "This is all your fault…you bound his soul…broke his body…you _destroyed him!"_ At her scream the ground began to rumble once again. Even the atmosphere around them seemed to darken as hatred flowed out of the Oni.

"Stop!" Zane said, coming forward, but by now she was standing, and a flare of power stunned the nindroid.

"I _tried_ to stop…to stop feeling…but it didn't work. There's too much inside!" she said, pressing her hands to her head as she shook with anger. "I can't control it….I can't control anything. I've _never_ controlled anything! Not my life under the Baron…not any situation after I ran into you lot…and not these…these _feelings_!" More flares shot out, and the group of ninja and adults nearby was forced to disband as they dove out of the way.

Lloyd was being heavily buffeted by the winds, being the closest to her. He struggled to maintain his concentration, but the pressure of the energy was proving to be stronger than him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to contain it for much longer.

" _Stop! I'm…I'm losing him!"_ he shouted as the built-up tether energy began breaking down his barrier.

Furious tears filled her eyes as she refused to calm down.

"No matter the result here…we were always going to lose him, if not now then later…" she said, trembling with anger. She took an angry breath. _"I_ was always going to lose him!"

Lou swallowed hard as he watched the girl's powers whip around them, and then he looked over at where Lloyd was struggling against both winds and the unseen pressures he was facing. Finally, he turned to his son, whose head rested lifelessly on Lou's shoulder, eyes closed. He was nearly gone; the vanishing line was picking up speed as it travelled more fully down his torso and across his face.

"Oh, no…son… _please_ …" Lou voice was a horrified whisper.

Lloyd tried once more to push back, but the energy in the tether's path was too strong. He cried out as he felt his barrier break apart.

Everyone's attention was focused on Keyda as the aura storm crackled. She was hugging herself again, trying to figure out whether she would just let everything out or if she should keep trying to curb the power that was forcing its way out of her.

" _NO!"_

Lou's choked yell caught her attention, as well as everyone else's. They all turned in time to see the last of the Master of Earth dissolve into thin air.

26


	24. Part 23

Nicki's Story

 _ **111**_

It was if the world had frozen as the shock of what they had just witnessed set in. Jay didn't realize he was falling until his father caught him.

"Jay!" Nya yelled. She had just watched one friend disappear…was Jay next?! But she realized as she reached him that he had just been on the verge of passing out. He was trembling, his shock mixing with the pain in his shoulder and the physical and mental exhaustion from trying to keep Cole awake. Even as Ed lowered him to the ground and Nya put a hand to his face, he couldn't stop looking over to the now empty spot by the pillar.

Lou leaned heavily against the stone column, eyes closed as he silently wept. His son was gone…and he hadn't done anything to help him. He couldn't stop it, any more than he could stop Cole from turning himself in to Garmadon in the first place.

The numb silence finally seemed to wear off, as everyone suddenly was reminded of the swirling storm of aura around them.

Garmadon turned to his brother, expression grave.

"We have to get out of here…." he said, but the Dragon Master's gaze had shifted from the empty pillar to the figure in the eye of the growing tempest.

Keyda's arms were still wrapped around herself as she fell to her knees. Internally there was so much turmoil as all the emotions that had been inside for so long battled against each other and fought to be freed as glorious destruction. All except the flame of hope, which had finally gone out.

Her scream snapped everyone else out of spell they had seemingly been under.

"What do we do now!?" Skylor yelled over the chaos. Kai pulled his gaze away from the scene in front of them, looking over at the redhead. She was scared…

"We…" he trailed off and then shook himself back to the present, and the crisis at hand. "We need to get everyone out of here,"

P.I.X.A.L landed next to them in her Samauri X suit, having run over to get it when the storm began.

"Summon your elemental dragons…everyone else needs to get to REX."

Dareth started running towards the airship, but the ninja still seemed frozen, watching the storm get larger.

"But what about Keyda?" Jay asked, finally speaking.

"We are not going to be able to calm her down now…" Zane said dully. "The Oni power is getting exponentially stronger…P.I.X.A.L is right, we must evacuate."

"Then get _moving_ already!" Ronin said gruffly, and the ninja seemed to finally be snapped back to urgency of the situation.

Kai tried to summon his elemental dragon, but he found that he couldn't.

"I can't…" he started, but Nya interrupted him from a few feet away.

"We're too freaked…we aren't going to be able to fly our dragons out of here…"

"Then we will have to pile in!" Misako said, pulling Kai and Skylor towards REX. Ed and Enda helped Jay to his feet, his good arm around his father's shoulders. He allowed them to lead him to the ship as he silently stared at the ground.

Garmadon shook Wu, trying to get him to snap out of his thoughts.

"Wu…when the overdrive is completed…"

His brother looked over at him with a haunted expression.

"I understand…but I still have to _try…"_ He pushed himself to his feet and began making his way over to Keyda. Garmadon frowned but didn't try to stop his brother. Instead, he turned to his son, still kneeling a few yards away.

"Lloyd! We need to leave!" he said. The green ninja looked over as Garmadon came towards him.

"Dad…I...I couldn't…" He swallowed hard as Garmadon helped him to his feet.

"This was _not_ your fault son," Garmadon said, pulling him away from the storm. He heard the Ultra-Dragon roar and tried to find its location.

"Where's Wu?" Lloyd asked, turning back. "What about Keyda?"

"Lloyd, that storm is only going to get worse….Wu's gone to talk to her, but for now we need to get out of here," Garmadon said, locating the Ultra-Dragon as it struggled to fly into the storm.

Lloyd stopped, a thought suddenly hitting home.

"Harumi….we left her over by the tunnel entrance…"

Garmadon nodded his understanding as he finally managed to get the dragon's attention.

Wu found himself in the eye of the storm, but he was unsure what he could possibly say that would have any effect on the broken-hearted Oni curled up in the middle of it.

"I know that you're hurting, Keyda…" he started, and she looked up at him with a tear-streaked face.

"I should never have come…" she said, voice trembling. The tears began to fall again and her face contorted. "I just wanted to keep him safe…"

Wu reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, but she lurched away from his touch. He swallowed before speaking again.

"You have to control this…you have to stop…"

" _I CAN'T!"_ She screamed. Her arms tightened around herself. " _There's too much…"_

"You _can_ do this…" he said, reaching out towards her again.

"Just like I could make the connection with Garmadon?!" she spat, the storm reeling around them. " _Just like I could help you save Cole from Limbo_?!"

Hatred flashed through the clouds, making a sound like thunder, and Wu looked around in alarm.

" _JUST LEAVE!"_ She screamed at him, and more thunder resounded.

"I can't just leave you here," he said firmly. "I…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence, because right then Keyda yelled and another wave of power exploded out of her, throwing the Dragon Master out of the eye and nearly out of the storm. His armor clanked as he bounced off the ground and he sat up, dazed. A moment later the Ultra-Dragon snatched him off the ground and he looked up at his brother and nephew.

"She needs help!" Wu yelled up, but Garmadon's face was grim.

"She's past the point of no return." Garmadon looked down at his brother. "The heart of an Oni is a powerful thing, Wu…and I'm not sure what magnitude of desolation will be released now that that heart is broken. We need to get everyone out of here…"

 _Ninja_

Everyone had reached REX. Ronin barely waited for everyone to be onboard before his airship was off the ground.

"Are we going to make it?" Skylor asked, feeling sick as she looked down at the surges of power. A few were hitting as far away as the ship, causing it to rattle.

"Elemental Overdrives are hard to predict…" Zane said, trying to analyze the storm.

"Garmadon mentioned that term….what the heck is an elemental overdrive?" Nya asked sharply from her seat next to Jay.

"It is an extremely powerful release of elemental power." Zane answered. "And I have no idea what the destructive force behind one of Oni power would be. It could easily stretch well beyond the limits of this temple ground and even the entire fallen palace…."

"People are going to get hurt if that happens." Skylor pointed out grimly. "What can we do?"

"We need to warn them…evacuate who we can…" Kai said. He looked out the window and spotted P.I.X.A.L flying off ahead of them, as well as the Ultra-Dragon. "It seems like the others had the same thought."

Ronin dodged another surge, nearly out of the temple grounds. Suddenly, he turned around and faced those in the back of his airship, and then looked back towards the swirling storm. His brow furrowed as he realized there was someone missing.

"Nya!" he yelled, and she looked up in alarm. "I need you to steer REX out of this; these surges are too sporadic for her to dodge them all on her own…"

She ran to the cockpit, shocked as the thief pushed himself to the door of the airship.

"Where are you going?" she asked, grabbing the controls he had just abandoned. She turned to see him lower the ladder and then begin to descend it.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who said we don't leave anybody behind…and there's a certain performer that I'm afraid we forgot in the chaos." he said. "Lower me down as far as you can, and be ready to pick us up…"

Nya blinked as the rest of the crew realized who he was talking about. She turned back to the worsening storm and swallowed.

"Be careful." she said. When REX was as close to the ground as she could get it, Ronin leapt off the ladder. A few moments later he was taking off towards the storm.

 _Lou_

Lou opened his eyes, suddenly realizing how bad the storm had gotten around him. He couldn't see anything in its opaque darkness; he swallowed and leaned his head back against the pillar. He felt empty, and not as distressed by the deadly clouds around him as he probably should have been. In fact, he probably would have just stayed there if he hadn't heard the crying. He looked around and pushed himself off of the pillar. A surge flashed out and he winced as it struck him in the side, but he kept heading towards the distressed sound.

There was the young lady…the one from the other realm. He found himself in a small pocket of stillness as he faced her, unsure of what to do. Logic suggested that he should get as far away as possible…the chaotic mass around him was surely only going to get worse…but as he looked at her he knew she was only battling against what he was also feeling. He sat down, not sure what to say but feeling as though he needed to say something.

"You know…his mother and I had a bet going." He finally started. She shuddered, looking up to see who had come to torment her this time. Lou wasn't looking at her though; he was looking at the ground and smiling sadly, as if reliving a memory. Tears glinted in his eyes.

"I always said that he was going to have scores of women chasing after him…how could he not? I figured in the end he would choose someone who was especially talented, or had a lot of great connections. His mother was adamant, however, that he'd end up with someone headstrong and fiercely loyal. I should have known she'd be right…she always was…"

Keyda shook her head.

"Have you come to tell me that you can help me?! That you can make it all go away…that everything will be fine!?" she spat, trembling against the emotions inside. He sighed sadly and looked up at her.

"I can't tell you that…because the pain doesn't really go away. Not when you love someone…sometimes you can distract yourself from it, and I suppose you get used to a new way of living without them…but it never doesn't hurt." he pressed a hand against his chest, face contorting.

She let out a sob and another surge escaped. Lou winced as it passed through him.

"If you can't stop it… _then why are you here!?"_ She asked, tears still streaming.

Lou looked at her for a few moments, trying to think of his answer.

"I know I'm useless…heck, I'm just a dancer at the end of the day. A dancer and a sub-par father." His face contorted once again as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "But…when I heard you…I had to come…."

"Why?" she whispered, shaking. He moved a little closer to her, meeting her eyes.

"Because this is where _he_ would be if he were still here. He'd be with you…trying to help…trying to do the…the _right_ thing…" He paused for a moment before continuing.

"I know I can't do anything; I have no skills, no way to save you…just like there was nothing I could do to save him." The tears were falling now. "But I can be here, with you… _for_ you, at least. It was something I was never very good at with him."

"I just wish it would stop…" she cried. He reached out a tentative hand and touched her shoulder. She didn't pull away as she cried harder. "I just wish I could forget…"

"I tried that too…" he said softly. "Immersing myself in distractions…pretending that everything was fine…" a sob escaped. "Acting like nothing had even happened…."

Another shudder, another surge. He didn't pull his hand away.

"It works for a while…but grief is a funny thing; it will find you eventually, in one way or another…"

He looked at the frail soul in front of him, struggling against the forces of crushing grief. He moved closer, and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't pull away, and he held her as she cried.

"I already lost him once…" she was sobbing openly now. He took a shaky breath of his own.

"Me too." he said softly. "Me too…"

 _Ronin_

Ronin burst into the storm, heading to where he was pretty sure the pillar was. No doubt Lou was still there, too heavy-hearted to think about escape. He pulled his neckscarf around his face as dust and darkness swirled around him. The cloud-like storm had become obscure and dense, and he couldn't see the performer anywhere.

" _Lou!?"_ he shouted, but the wind whipped his words away. He reached the pillar, but there was nothing there. He looked around; could he have already escaped? He turned on the thermal function on his armored eye and found two figures in the center of the mass. He couldn't be sure if one of them was Lou, but he pushed towards it. As he drew closer, he could make out a sound amid the thunder and wind. Was that…singing? He would have thought he was going crazy, but he had been stuck with the performer for enough days to recognize his voice.

He burst into the eye of the storm, and was struck speechless by what he saw. Lou was holding the pale girl—the one causing all the strife. And he appeared to be singing some quiet song to her…was that a lullaby?

"Lou?!" Ronin finally said, and the performer looked up. "What are you doing? This thing is about to blow…we have to _get out of here!"_

Lou sighed. "I'm…I'm doing all I know _how_ to do, Ronin…"

Keyda had closed her eyes as Lou held her, and her crying grew quieter as she listened. The storm around them seemed less dark and less violent, all of a sudden. She let out another shuddery breath and finally relaxed; Lou wasn't sure if she was asleep or if she had passed out, but whichever the case she had apparently worn herself out. Ronin and Lou looked up as the swirling chaos seemed to dissipate, rays of sunlight breaking their way in. The thief looked back down at the performer and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well spotlight, it looks like today it was more than enough."

 _ **112**_

Nya had flown REX in as close as was safe with the storm, ready to pick Ronin and Lou up in a quick rescue. But as they ninja watched, the storm actually began to slow…in fact, it seemed to be dissipating.

"What did Ronin do?" Kai said, voicing what everyone was thinking. "You don't think he killed her…do you?"

No one knew what to say; they watched as the storm grow lighter and smaller until it had faded completely. Nya landed the ship and everyone began to tentatively exit.

The ninja looked at the three figures in amazement; was that Lou, holding Keyda?

"What happened?" Zane asked as the group approached those who had been in the eye of the storm.

"Wasn't me." Ronin said. "Twinkle-toes here sang her a lullaby and she calmed right down…"

This only served to baffle the ninja more.

"A _lullaby_? Seriously? Is that really all it took?" Kai asked. Everyone stared at Lou for an explanation, and the performer blinked up at everyone, as if just realizing how many people had suddenly gathered. He cleared his throat.

"She just needed something to help deal with the grief, I think. And…music has always helped _me_."

"But what do we do with her now?" Dareth asked. "Is she gonna explode again when she wakes up? Maybe we could just send her home, you know, before that happens…"

"She will be going back…technically," Zane noted. "But we should wait and see what Master Wu's plan is."

"His plan is for what?" Misako asked. "Sending the Oni home?"

The Ultra-Dragon landed a few moments later.

"You calmed her down." Wu stated as he dismounted. He had a strange expression as he studied Lou and Keyda. "How?"

"Can we catch you up later? Cuz I'm starting to get the real heebie-jeebies thinking about her waking up." Dareth interceded. Wu looked at the Oni for a few moments more and sighed.

"She's been through a lot…much more than I should have ever asked of her."

"Master Wu…"

The Dragon Master turned at the sound of Jay's voice. He caught sight of the blue ninja standing with his parents, looking conflicted.

"Do you…do you think there's still a way to find Cole? And bring him back?"

Everyone grew quiet at his question, turning to look at the Dragon Master. Wu wanted to say yes…that there was a possibility that Cole was still in the Limbo world, and that once Keyda woke up and he had recovered his energy they could search for him. That they should never give up hope. But as he glanced back at the exhausted girl in a mourning father's arms, he realized that even though hope was priceless, there _were_ costs when it was given falsely.

"Wu?"

He looked up and realized that everyone was looking at him, waiting for his answer. He sighed heavily.

"I…don't know. Considering everything that's happened…" he trailed off and looked down. "No. I don't think so."

Jay's face crumpled. He looked back at the ground, and after a few moments he turned to walk away from the group. His mother called his name and started following him, but Ed gently stopped her.

"I think Jay needs a few minutes to himself, Edna…"

Wu looked at the others. It seemed that the emotions lost in the chaos of the last few hours were catching up with everybody. He could feel the weariness and sorrow sinking into his own soul…but he also knew he didn't have time to entertain those feelings.

"I know that right now, we're all in need of some rest and…" he trailed off, deciding that he didn't have the energy for a rallying speech after all. "The point is, we still have a bit of work to do. The S.O.G need to be rounded up and secured by law enforcement."

"But what about Kedya?" Kai asked quietly.

Wu didn't really know what to do with the Oni…it was impossible to know what would happen when she woke up. He considered just leaving right away to the First Realm with her…but he didn't want to leave yet. He looked around at his comrades and realized he wanted a bit more time with them, before heading back to the first realm alone. He also didn't know how Keyda would respond to waking up back in that realm in a role that she had never wanted anyways.

"Wu…it would probably be best for her to go home," Misako urged after a few minutes. He nodded absently.

"When she wakes up and proves to be stable, we will head back to the first realm."

The Historian frowned, confused. "What do you mean by we?"

Wu remembered that half the group didn't even know about the promises he had made. He put a hand to his temple and sighed

"It seems now would be a good time to catch everyone up on a few more details…"

 _Jay_

Jay walked across the courtyard, numbly taking in all the destruction that had gone down. Pillars sat in piles of rubble, the altar was gone….he kicked a piece of rock and it shot off and plunked down in the piranha-invested water at the edge of the temple ground. Eventually he grew tired of even walking and sat heavily on a chunk of fallen pillar. He was silent for a few minutes, staring at the ground with his hands on his knees.

"Jay?"

He turned to see Nya coming after him, looking concerned. She opened her mouth to say something, but she seemed to think better of it and sat down next to him instead. She reached over and took his hand and he gave it a small squeeze, but he didn't look at her. After a few more minutes he started talking.

"Back in the first realm, there was this…this villain guy. Called himself Iron Baron. Cole had gotten himself caught, and we had gone in to save him…" he cleared his throat as she looked over at him.

"But what we didn't realize was that he was waiting for us… and he had this mind-control staff…"

"Jay." she said, interrupting as she realized where he was headed. "You don't have to…"

"We woke up in this arena and he was just lying there, and we had no idea what had happened or if he was even _alive,_ and…" his voice broke as he continued. "…We just wanted to know what happened, and Zane had his playback function," he was shaking slightly as tears started to fall.

"Really, if it's…"

" _I_ hurt him, Nya!" here he turned to face her. "…We all did. And the whole time, we were saying the worst things to him…things we never would have said." His fists clenched. "I didn't want to tell you…I didn't want anyone to ever know. I…I wish _I_ didn't know…"

"I'm sorry, Jay," she whispered. "…I shouldn't have pushed so hard…"

"He turned out to be fine…well, _alive_ … but there were so many other complications when we tried to escape that realm. It seemed like we would never get home….but we finally did." He swallowed. "I didn't want him to turn himself in, but deep down I guess I just knew he'd be ok because he's _always_ ok. He'd make it, cuz he had made it this far, you know?" his voice cracked and Nya released his hand so she could wrap her arm around his waist.

"It's not your fault Jay…it's…it's not _anybody's_ fault…"

Jay shook his head. "I told him he'd be ok….that everything was going to be fine…" he trembled harder. "I didn't even let him say _goodbye…"_

Nya hugged him tighter as they cried. Eventually she looked over at his other shoulder and sighed.

"Jay…you were _shot_ …you need to go to the hospital."

He let out a shaky breath and tried to shrug.

"I don't even feel it," he mumbled, but she had already stood and reached out a hand to help him up.

"C'mon…it's not gonna do anyone any good if that gets infected."

He looked up dully and finally took her hand, letting her help him to his feet.

 _Ninja_

"Just got off the phone with the Commish…he said that they've been rounding S.O.G up ever since they heard the ninja were back." Ronin said, coming out of REX. "They've got most of 'em; they picked up the crazy purple one over by where we left Killow all tied up. Guess she was the rescue mission. And they got that creepy red robot guy from Borg tower too. All they're missing is the girl who started it all." He gave Harumi a pointed look where she was sitting fuming on the back of the Ultra-Dragon, Lloyd close by. She had been whispering threats and insults to him ever since he had picked her up; it hadn't taken him long to gag her.

Wu nodded his understanding.

"Uncle Wu…isn't there some way you could stay here? The Dragons could just pick a different leader." Lloyd said.

"We've only just been reunited." Garmadon agreed. "Is the situation in our father's birth realm really so bad that you must return so soon?"

"I'm afraid that it is…and there is no alternative. Besides…" Wu said, turning to look at Keyda again. "I made a promise. I'll stay here long enough to make sure that Ninjago really is out of danger, but then we will have to leave." He turned and gave his brother a small smile. "Ninjago will be in good hands without me…there's still the ninja, and you…"

"No one's going to want me protecting them," Garmadon pointed out bitterly. "Not after everything I've been up to the last few weeks…"

"But they do trust your son." Wu said, looking over at Lloyd. "It's his leadership that will help the most in this time…but he will need you and your support." He cleared the emotion out of his voice. "Especially….especially after everything that's happened…"

Garmadon sighed heavily. "I am sorry about Cole, Wu…I had no idea that by…"

"If you hadn't, you would have faded and your anti-self would be destroying our father's realm with a legion of Oni." Wu said matter of factly. "I just wish I had caught on to the warning signs sooner. Looking back, they were all there…but I was too distracted to notice."

"It is pointless putting the blame on anyone," Zane pointed out from nearby. He looked at his sensei sadly. "It was Cole's choice, in the end…and even the right choices have unexpected consequences." He was silent for a few moments. "But I suppose we are all going to feel like there is more we could have done."

A few feet away, Lou cleared his throat and everyone looked over.

"I…I think that they young lady might be more comfortable sleeping in a bed of some kind…" he said sheepishly. "It's just…she really wore herself out, and I have no idea how long she'll be out…"

"I can probably fix something up in REX…" Ronin said grudgingly after no one said anything for a few minutes. "But if she wakes up and starts destroying stuff again, I'm dumping her outta my ship." he added as he headed over to his airship. A few minutes later the thief returned and carried Keyda over to the make-shift bed. He had to admit, she looked a whole lot less like Armageddon when she was sleeping.

The performer looked over at Wu and Garmadon.

"Do you think it would be alright for me to return home now?"

Wu nodded. "The S.O.G should no longer pose a threat…"

Lou shakily pushed himself to his feet. "Then, I must take my leave….I'm headed home. I left it in quite a state, you understand…" Lou's tone had become very businesslike, but his body language was haggard.

"Can I give you a ride home?" Zane offered, but the performer shook his head.

"No, I…I think I'll walk." He headed towards one of the entrances to the temple, though Kai ran over to help him get through the barriers.

"Poor Lou…" Dareth murmured, watching him go. He turned back to Wu and saluted. "Whatever you need, you can count on me to help out!"

Wu turned to Lloyd, as if awaiting instruction. The Green Ninja seemed surprised at the sudden handing-over of the reigns, but after a few moments he cleared his throat.

"We should help the authorities clean up the rest of the biking gang…and after that, I think it's probably time for us all to get some much needed rest."

 _Lou_

It was dusk when Lou reached his house. He looked at the door, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he remembered coming home just a week or so earlier to a villain on his couch. He pushed it open, and took in the mess that he and Dareth had left behind. The Lou of a few weeks ago would have gotten right to work tidying the house, making it look like nothing had happened, and then probably would have called his quartet members to set up a few practices. But after everything that had gone down, Lou wasn't the same man he had been. He walked past the fallen trophies and broken glass, heading back into his bedroom. He sat on his bed wearily, his back aching. The light continued to fade from the windows and he turned and flicked a lamp on. In the warm glow he went to pull out his small songbook out of habit, but then he remembered that he had left it in that cave where they had been hiding out. He wondered briefly if it had been destroyed and felt a small ache for it. He shook his head at himself; songs, after all, could be rewritten. He fished something out from his chest pocket. The edges of the picture that had stuck up out of the pocket were worn, and there was even a small tear. For the most part, however, the picture was still in pretty good shape and Lou looked at it sadly for a few minutes before putting it on his side table and turning out the light.

 _ **113**_

A dragon roar echoed and the boy opened his eyes to total darkness. He felt a jolt of fear, and for some reason felt the need to pat himself over to make sure that there were no pieces missing. Whatever the cause of his moment of panic, it passed as soon as he was sure that all of him was still there. He sat up in the darkness, not sure where he was. He realized with a start that he didn't even know _who_ he was.

"Hello?"

His voice echoed in the emptiness and he realized that he was floating. Was that normal? Who was he expecting to find here?

 _No wonder you were afraid of messing things up… you seem to land yourself in precarious situations quite a lot…_

His heart thudded at the voice that echoed back to him, but he couldn't make sense of anything in the darkness.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about…who are you?"

 _Have you forgotten already, Cole?_

He blinked at the name; it felt familiar.

"Is…that my name?"

 _Indeed._

"Where am I? Where are you?"

 _You've fallen deep into the void…your friends will not be able to reach you here._

Cole looked down towards his hands, though he couldn't see anything in the darkness.

"Are you not a friend then? How are you able to reach me?" he paused a second. "Who _are_ you?

 _I'm part of you, technically_

"What?" he subconsciously ran his hand through his hair. "What are you talking about?"

 _Master of Earth, if you are to escape Limbo, you must focus on remembering what you have lost._

Cole was getting irritated that the voice wasn't answering his questions very clearly.

"What have I lost?"

 _At the moment, everything…_

 _Jay_

Jay woke up as the first rays of sunlight came through the window. He blinked wearily and sat up, wincing as the pain in his shoulder suddenly reminded him of everything he had been through in the past few days. After the sharp pain wore off, he felt the solid rock of sorrow settle back in his chest and he sighed.

"How ya feeling, son?"

He looked over to see his Dad looking at him, his expression both concerned and comforting.

"The doctors said your wound should heal up nicely…they wanna keep you another day, just so they can rewrap the bandaging, but after that you'll be free to leave." The junkyard owner continued.

Jay looked over at his shoulder, which was sporting brand new white bandages and smelled like something clinical.

"Where's Mom?"

"She was under the impression you'd feel a bit better after some crumb cake, so she's off looking for somewhere to get some baking done. But she made this for ya…" Ed held up a scarf that was far too long and Jay couldn't help but smile as he took it.

"Orange…" he noted. "I'll have to tell her thanks when she gets back…"

There was a knock at the door and Ed and Jay looked over to see Nya and Kai poking their heads in.

"Hey…how are ya feeling?" Kai asked. Ed smiled and said something about checking with the doctors about breakfast and left Jay with his friends.

"Oh you know... I'll be sporting a pretty heroic scar, and…" he trailed off mid joke, his small smile fading. "…I'm…I'm fine. Doing fine."

Kai and Nya shared a worried look and came in. Kai sat in Ed's abandoned chair as Nya took a seat on the edge of the hospital bed.

"I…brought you some of your video games. You know, in case you get bored sitting here all day," Kai said, holding up a bag.

Jay looked over at the bag and tried to give his friend a smile.

"Ah, thanks Kai. I don't know how good I'll be with just the one arm, but…I appreciate the thought…"

Kai glanced at Jay's arm and flushed.

"Right…right. Sorry."

"You were at the floating temple then?" Jay asked, changing the subject. It was where he kept his video games, and he guessed it made sense that with the bounty gone the team would have set up camp in their old base.

"Yeah…it was so weird to be there," Nya said. "I mean, the floating aspect made it so that it was safe from looters, but it still felt so odd, like we had taken a step back in time. Even before all this S.O.G business, we were on different missions for a while and I guess it's just been so long since we've all been under that roof together."

Jay's expression changed to something unreadable and she chastised herself for wording.

"Have Wu and Keyda left?" he asked, trying to keep his voice light.

"Not yet." Kai said. "Keyda's still passed out cold…Wu's pretty sick about the whole thing, really. No one knows what to expect when she does wake up."

A silence descended and Nya and Kai made eye contact again, trying to think of what else to say…especially with the elephant in the room.

"Did you know you've got Cyrus Borg next door?" Nya asked. "He got hit with a crossbow bolt a few days ago… so now you're in the same ward and everything."

"Zane and Pix are over there now," Kai explained. "They're gonna pop by to say hello when they're done."

Jay nodded absently. "Ok." He was looking back down at his hands, not making eye contact with them. Nya sighed and reached over to take his hand.

"We miss him too, Jay…" she said.

"Going back to the temple…seeing his stuff everywhere…" Kai trailed off. "It was hard. We just wanted you to know that if you wanna talk about it, we're here for you."

"Thanks guys," Jay mumbled, still not looking up. "…I'm actually feeling a little tired…"

Nya gave his hand a squeeze. "Ok." she said, giving him a sad smile as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "We'll come see you later, ok?"

The siblings left, and Nya glanced back to see Jay's shoulders shaking before she shut the door.

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd looked out the temple window in time to see the Ultra Dragon landing outside. He ran downstairs to let the Dragon Master inside.

"Wu!"

"Hello, Lloyd." The Dragon Master sounded tired.

"You were at the temple, weren't you? The temple of resurrection?" Lloyd asked. Wu sighed.

"Yes."

Lloyd swallowed as Wu sat heavily on a chair near the front door.

"Did you find him?" Lloyd's voice was low, as if he already knew the answer. Wu didn't answer and Lloyd pressed a bit more. "That is why you went back there, right?"

Wu finally shook his head. "No. There was no trace of him."

Lloyd sighed and sat down on the bottom stair. He looked at his sensei as Wu took off his helmet. He had aged again; he looked to be in his late 30s now.

"Where are the others?" Wu asked.

"I believe Kai and Nya are on their way to help out with repairs near the east entrance of Ninjago. A lot of fighting went down there…I sent them to see if they could help out. Pix and Zane will be headed to Borg Tower after they finish up at the Hospital."

"How's Jay?"

Lloyd shrugged. "Physically, he's on the mend. He can leave the hospital tomorrow." he paused for a moment. "Nya and Kai said he's struggling though…emotionally."

Wu nodded. "I expected as much."

"I'm worried that the team's going to fall apart now." Lloyd finally confided. "Just like it did when we lost Zane. I…I need your help, Wu. I don't know if I can keep everyone together on my own."

Wu looked over at his nephew and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry that I have to leave…if there had been another way, I would have taken it. But you don't need me here—you have become a great leader and you have a team you can trust, as well as parents you can lean on."

"When are you leaving?"

Wu looked at his reflection in his golden helmet.

"We've already stayed here too long, I'm afraid. We left the realm in a precarious state." He dry-washed his face. "As soon as Keyda is able, we will head back to the first realm."

 _Cole_

Cole tried to remember something….anything. He caught flashes of faces, whispers of promises, but he couldn't lock down on anything. He groaned in frustration.

"It's not working!"

 _It will not come all at once… just try reaching back to the last thing that happened and go from there._

Cole frowned, closing his eyes. He worked to remember what had happened last…before he had come here…

He cried out and his eyes opened.

 _What did you find?_

"Pain." He shuddered. "A lot of pain…"

 _Indeed._

Cole blinked in the darkness, wishing he knew who the mystery voice belonged to.

"What happened to me? Why was I in so much pain?"

The voice was silent and Cole felt his anger grow.

"How did I get here?!"

 _You were connected to the void…and you chose the path of least resistance._

Cole blinked. "What does that mean? Are….are you saying I _chose_ to come here?!"

 _It will all make more sense once you remember everything…._

"I'm trying! But what aren't you telling me?"

 _You must try harder. If you do not remember, then you will never have the motivation to return._

"Return WHERE?"

He waited a few minutes but there was no answer. He groaned again.

" _Hello?!"_

His voice echoed and he sank back, his anger melting away as fear inched in. The voice was irritatingly cryptic…but he'd rather be talking with it than floating in the darkness all alone. He closed his eyes, trying to remember.

 _ **114**_

Keyda wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the floor. She wasn't even sure where she was, but after she had woken up and no one had come to find her she had decided that she didn't want to move. She was still under the blanket on the couch she had found herself on with a pounding headache and various aches from the many battles fought these last few days.

For the first time in more than a week, she had recovered some of the numbness of her past. It was different now than it had been…back then she was numb because of lack of caring. Now she was numb because she had cared too much.

"You're awake, then."

Keyda finally moved her gaze away from the floor. A lady stood in the doorway with a tray of steaming tea. Keyda didn't say anything, but the lady came in anyways and set the tray down on a side-table near the couch before sitting down in a chair.

"I…wondered if you would like something hot to drink, after everything you've been through…"

Keyda just narrowed her eyes. This woman could hardly even guess at everything she had 'been through.' She made no move to accept the offered cup. The lady sighed, placing the tea cup back onto the table before giving her another sad smile.

"I'll just go tell Wu that you're awake." And then she was gone.

Keyda finally sat up, the blanket falling off. She hugged her knees to her chest, waiting for Wu to show up and tell her it was time to go back home. She realized with a stir of surprise that she almost welcomed the idea. The thought of leading the Oni still filled her with dread but she had no love for this realm and the memories made here.

Footsteps echoed from outside the door and pulled her from her haunted thoughts.

"Keyda."

The Dragon Master had aged again, she could see. He came into the room slowly, as if not sure how she would react to seeing him. When she didn't move, he sat in the chair that the lady from before had abandoned and looked over at her, expression full of sadness and regret.

"I should have never asked you to come," he finally said. She just stared at him, arms still around her knees. He cleared his throat and continued.

"I'm…I'm going back to the first realm. As promised. But I won't press you into anything, Keyda…"

"Of course I'm going back."

Her voice was hoarse from the screaming from the day before and from going so long without using it. Wu looked at her carefully as she continued.

"I don't belong here…and you're right. You should have never asked me to come."

He nodded and looked down, as if trying to decide whether to tell her something else. His hand was in a pocket where he fiddled with something. He finally sighed, coming to a decision.

"I…want you to know that I didn't give up on him. I went back to the temple grounds and meditated for hours…but there was no sign of him."

Of course there wasn't. Wu was a fool for even holding out hope.

"I did find this…" Wu pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal a scrap of black cloth. He held it out to her and she finally moved, reaching out to take it. It was the same scrap Garmadon had thrown at her…the numbness inside was subsiding into a dull and painful ache.

"We were all hit hard by his loss…" Wu continued, and she looked up to find his eyes misty. "You…you don't have to mourn alone...or feel like you have to keep it bottled up, or hidden away…"

She looked away, her fingers rubbing the dark fabric as emotion got stuck in her throat. She cleared it away.

"Who was that man? The one who was with Cole…who came to talk to me?"

"That was Lou…he's Cole's father."

She nodded, remembering suddenly that Cole _had_ called him Dad.

"I want to go talk to him…before we go."

 _Cyrus Borg_

"You'd think I'd be used to it by now," Borg said, shaking his head. "Every time the city comes under attack, I have to work to rebuild the company. Though I've never really had a 'leg' to stand on, so to speak, I'm generally in better health to oversee my own reconstruction efforts."

P.I.X.A.L smiled and patted his arm.

"Zane and I will be headed over to Borg tower soon to make sure everything is on track for setting things back the way they were before. You just focus on getting better,"

The inventor nodded. "Ah, yes…I certainly can trust everything in your capable hands. After all, if it wasn't for the two of you, I wouldn't even be here," his demeanor sobered somewhat and he became pensive. "You've always been willing to sacrifice so much, the lot of you. It makes me wonder what more I could be doing to protect our realm. Surely I have more to offer than just highly advanced Borg watches or Borg pads…"

"Of course you do," P.I.X.A.L smiled again. "But do not spend too much time worrying about it; for now your main goal should be to get back to full health."

The inventor smiled back, and then his gaze drifted over to where a titanium nindroid sat, seemingly lost in thought.

"Are you alright, Zane?"

Zane looked up at his name.

"Sorry?"

"I was just asking if you were alright," the inventor explained. "Though…I suppose I know what's troubling you." He struggled to sit up, and was able to do so with some help from P.I.X.A.L. "I'd like to once again offer my condolences for your loss. If there's anything I could do to be of assistance during this time…"

Zane sighed and looked back down.

"It bothers me that so much was asked of him, when comparably little was asked of the rest of us." He explained. "It…it was not fair."

Borg nodded his understanding as P.I.X.A.L moved to be closer to her nindroid.

"You know, your friends felt the same after they lost you, Zane." the inventor said softly. "We like to view the world logically…but sometimes pain and loss don't make sense…"

"Pain and loss are a part of life," Zane replied simply, not looking up. Borg smiled sadly.

"Yes…but knowing that doesn't make dealing with them any easier."

P.I.X.A.L put an arm around Zane's shoulders and the nindroid sighed again.

"I just wished there was something more _I_ could have done…something more I could have given up. I was recently reminded that I can't do everything on my own…that sacrifices will be required of those around me as well. I just didn't think it would go this far."

"We did what we could, Zane…you cannot expect more from yourself than that." P.I.X.A.L said gently.

"How is the rest of your team holding up?" Borg asked. "You mentioned that Jay is next door with a bolt-wound of his own…"

"He and Cole were very close," Zane explained. "I think the loss is going to be the hardest on him…"

"Especially with nothing to do but sit and heal," Borg mused. "The rest of you have things you can be doing, places to fix and rebuild…" he seemed to be lost in thought. After a few minutes he turned back to the two androids.

"Perhaps what Jay needs is a sense of purpose to distract him. And I think I know just the thing,"

P.I.X.A.L and Zane looked up at Borg, intrigued by his determined tone.

"Jay's an inventor, yes?" Borg asked. "As am I…and I'm going to need all the help I can get to get my company back on its feet. Do you think that he would find an intern position to be a helpful distraction?"

Zane blinked in surprise. He knew how much Jay admired the inventor, and under normal circumstances he would be ecstatic at the chance to work alongside him.

"It is hard to predict how he would feel given the circumstances, but I definitely think it would be worth making the offer."

Borg smiled, looking a little relieved to have finally found some way he could help.

 _Cole_

At first the memories came back in a trickle; a name, a face, an instance out of context. Cole just wanted to give up, but having been left by even the strange voice he knew his options were either to sit alone in the dark forever or try to remember everything else.

He thought about what the voice had said—to go back to the last memory he had. He swallowed, not sure he wanted to revisit the pain he had found there last time he had tried. After a few more minutes in the dark he sighed and geared himself up.

Cold. Pain. Fear. A face…it was so _familiar_ but he was frustrated that couldn't place it or name it…

… _You're a fighter Cole…_

The man in his memory was speaking. "But who _are_ you?" Cole wondered, teeth grinding as he tried to remember.

 _Just…just hang on, son…_

Son…Dad… _Pop!_ The face…it was his father! His Dad was with him…and…and…

More faces; one, worried and freckled…. another dressed in golden armor….a blonde in green…a pale face with a tears and a scar…

He gasped as the memories continued to flow in and he actually could remember what they were. The fight at the temple…the first realm…Ninjago. His friends, his family, Keyda… how could he have forgotten?

He sat in the darkness, shivering as he realized everything he had almost lost forever.

"I have to get back…" he murmured. He realized with a shock that the voice had said that he was lost to the deepest parts of limbo. How on earth would he ever get out of here, where not even Kedya and Wu could reach him? If only the voice hadn't…

He blinked as he suddenly realized who the voice was; he had heard it speak in his head before.

"You're my Elemental Dragon." He called out, his voice echoing in the dark abyss. "Is that why you said you were part of me? Because you're connected to my element?"

 _You have finally remembered._

Cole felt both relieved and annoyed to hear the Dragon's voice again.

"Have you been here the whole time, ignoring me?" he asked sharply.

 _You needed motivation to remember, because you never would have had the motivation to return if you weren't spurred on by your memories._

"So…there's a way back? How? And how is it you are able to reach me here, if no one else can?"

 _Like you said, we are connected. And yes, there is a way for you to return…but it is something you must do on your own._

Cole sighed in frustration. "Remember how I told you all I do is mess things up? I tried to make the right decisions but all I did was destroy myself. How on earth do you expect me to get out of this on my own?"

 _I do remember you mentioning that…_ the dragon sounded amused, which only deepened Cole's frustrations. _But_ you'll _remember that I said it is only when earth is broken that things can grow within it. And Master of Earth…I'm not sure you can get any more broken at this point._

 _ **115**_

Lloyd watched Wu walk up the stairs, having been summoned by Misako. The Green Ninja sighed; if Keyda was awake, it wouldn't be long before they left. The thought of losing Wu all over again cut deep. Ninjago was in shambles, and Lloyd needed help picking up the pieces.

"Son?"

Lloyd looked up to see Garamdon standing in the front doorway, looking troubled. The Green Ninja stood.

"Dad! Where have you been?"

"I've been around, Lloyd. In all the chaos of yesterday I was left with quite the headache…but I think I'm finally beginning to sort everything out." He sighed, and looked back at his son.

"Would you take a walk around the grounds with me?"

Lloyd followed his father out the door, feeling puzzled. As they started their walk he turned to the older man.

"What did you mean by 'sorting everything out'?"

Garmadon was silent, his brow furrowed while he walked. He finally turned to explain.

"When you pulled me free of limbo, it didn't destroy the part of me that had been wreaking havoc here. We were merely rejoined. It was hard to sort through the confusion and added memories yesterday, given everything that was going on…but since then…"

"Memories?" Lloyd's pace slowed. "You mean, everything that he did…"

Garmadon stopped.

"Yes. I remember everything." His voice sounded dull as Lloyd stopped walking as well. He knew which memories were haunting his father.

"Dad…that wasn't _you…"_

"It was the darkest part of me, son. But I never would have thought that even the darkest part of me would have been capable of hurting you."

Lloyd didn't look at his father. He wanted to tell his father that it was ok, that he shouldn't feel guilty about something that was in the past…he was fine after all. He even had his powers back. But the truth was that the memory of their fight in Kryptarium still hurt and haunted him anytime he found himself thinking about it.

Garmadon put a hand on his shoulder and Lloyd looked up at his father.

"Son…you are the most important thing in the world to me. The thought of you was the only thing that helped me survive weeks in limbo…" he trailed off, his voice getting caught with emotion. Lloyd clenched his jaw, trying to control his own as his father continued.

"What that part of me did to you…to Ninjago…it's unforgivable. But…I still wanted to say that I'm _sorry._ You never should have had to…"

Lloyd's fierce hug cut him off mid-apology, and he sighed in relief as he hugged him back.

"I missed you so much, Dad…" Lloyd mumbled through his tears.

"Oh Lloyd…I missed you too." He whispered into his son's hair. They stood for a few minutes by the koi pond.

"If I could take it all back somehow…" Garmadon said, but Lloyd shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Dad…you didn't ask to be brought back. You didn't ask to be ripped apart and sent to limbo…"

"But the things that you've had to go through…the destruction that's occurred in this realm…" Garmadon's face contorted. "And I've cost you a friend…"

"You can't blame yourself for what…"

" _I_ tethered him to the limbo world, son. I can't even blame my evilest part for that."

"You didn't know…you couldn't have known this is how it would end up. I don't blame you Dad." Lloyd pulled back so he could look his father in the eyes. "I was the one who couldn't break the tether…but you told me that I couldn't blame myself for that. I wish you wouldn't blame yourself either." He sighed, looking back at the temple.

"Keyda woke up…she and Wu will be leaving soon. I need you Dad…I can't do this on my own…"

"Lloyd, I will always be here for you…on your side. You have to know that by now," his father replied. He smiled as he looked at his son with pride. "You have grown so much, and you have become a capable leader. Wu trusts you to lead your team…to be a leader to the _realm…_ and I trust you as well."

Lloyd looked back at his father with a shaky smile.

"Thanks, Dad."

 _Cole_

"So what do I have to do?"

The dragon didn't reply right away and Cole's heart beat faster. He couldn't imagine being stuck here, alone…especially now that he remembered what he had left behind.

"Hello?!"

 _The tether between this place and the real world still exists._

Cole sagged in relief at the dragon's voice, but then frowned as he thought about what it had said. "How is that possible? I thought the tether was connected to _me…_ "

 _It is something you used, but it is more of a pathway than a rein…"_

"A pathway…" Cole repeated. "So…I can use it again?"

 _In theory._

Cole scoffed. "That's _really_ reassuring, you know that?"

 _It won't be easy to do; the energy in the pathway is exceptionally strong, pushing in this direction…"_

"Lloyd couldn't even break it…" Cole said, remembering the snippets of conversation he had overheard while disappearing.

 _That is because you were fighting against him._

Cole blinked in surprise.

"Me? What is that even supposed to mean?"

The dragon didn't answer right away as Cole glared into the abyss.

"Are you saying that I sent _myself_ here?!"

 _It's not something you did consciously…_ the dragon admitted. _But a part of you longed to be free from the pain and the fear and fought to escape to a place where…_

" _I_ did this?!" Cole was yelling now. "Did…did I make the tether in the first place?!"

 _You did not send yourself to limbo to begin with…nor did you create the tether. But as you became more injured your subconscious became more dedicated to withdrawing. In a way, it was a survival mechanism._

"Survival?!" Cole gestured around him. " _This_ is survival?!"

The dragon ignored his outbursts, continuing his explanation.

 _The more you travelled the tether, the stronger the energy became to take you to this place. Eventually the strain became great enough that it took all of you._

Cole just shook his head. "When Lloyd tried to break the tether…"

 _The built up energy and even a part of your own subconscious fought against him. He wasn't strong enough to keep you there…but with your own relationship with the tether, it could be possible to reverse the flow of energy to take you back to your world._

The ninja didn't say anything. All he could think about was how he had let everybody down. It was bad enough that his risks had backfired…but to know that the reason he was here now was because some part of him couldn't help but run away? How could he have done that to his friends…or his own father? They had told him to fight and he thought that he had been, but apparently he wasn't strong enough. All at once he thought of Keyda…he had promised her he would be ok…he had _kissed_ her. And then he had disappeared—literally. He wondered how long he had been in limbo. No doubt Wu and Keyda had already left to get back to the first realm…the thought made him feel so empty.

 _What is past is past, Master of Earth. You must reverse the flow of energy in the tether, and use the pathway to get back home._

"I don't think I can…"

 _And you won't, if you aren't even willing to try._

Cole sighed again, this time in frustration. This dragon was definitely starting to get on his nerves, but the unseen reptile had a point. No good was going to come from a pity-party, and no one was coming to save him.

"How do I do it?"

 _Picture home, Cole. Picture home and fight for it._

He stared into the dark, think about his home in Ninjago. About his friends, his memories…the times they had laughed together, stressed together, fought with and for each other. He thought of his father, and of how far he had come, of all the ways they had both grown over the years. He thought of Wu; the sensei who had taught Cole how to be a man, and what responsibility really meant. He thought of Keyda, willing to risk everything for a glimmer of hope and who stuck by him after his risks backfired time and time again.

He thought of the hard times…the pain, the arguments, the seemingly constant threats to the safety of their home. But it was worth it…the good times outweighed the bad. The gains outweighed the losses…and home was worth fighting for.

He wasn't sure at what point he sensed the path, but he could feel its energy coursing towards him, like a river that had deposited him in this dark and gloomy bay. He swallowed, trying to figure out how to reverse the flow. At the end of this path was his home, his friends, his life…and he longed to be there. He began walking forward against the flow of energy. At first it wasn't too difficult, but after a bit the force pushing him backwards became intense. He frowned, pushing himself forward inch by inch.

"I'm getting home…" he muttered to the opposing force. " _I'm getting home!"_

His arms lit up as he used his earth punch to push through the force, gaining a bit more ground.

"Stop…fighting…me…" he said, feeling both frustrated and foolish as he argued with an energy flow. "I…don't…want…to be here!"

The energy didn't seem to be listening, continuing to push him back towards the place he was fighting to escape.

"I have to tell my friends that I'm ok!" he yelled. His feet slipped backwards, but he regained his footing and managed to gain a few steps. "I have to tell my Dad that I'm sorry…" He shoved back against the flow, his arms lighting up the strange pathway he was travelling down. "I have to tell Keyda how I _really feel!"_

A few more steps, a few more slips…how would he ever reach home at this rate?

"I'm done distancing myself…with things get hard…I'm tired.. of being on my _own_ …"

He struggled for every step, not noticing that the glow in his arms was spreading through the rest of his body.

" _I'm going back!"_ he yelled, and his steps became more solid. The elemental glow pulsed through his body as the flow of energy seemed to slow around him.

" _I am strong enough….and I'm going HOME!"_

The energy had stilled completely, and Cole stopped moving, taken aback but the sudden lack of opposition. Suddenly the energy began trickling again, but in the opposite direction. Cole began walking, then running. Soon he couldn't even keep up with the force at his back as it flew him back towards a memory…towards home.

29


	25. Part 24

Nicki's Story

 _ **116**_

Lou woke up late. It was the first time he had done so in a while, but he didn't feel like getting out of bed with the sun's rays today. He watched the light move across his bedroom ceiling and finally managed to pull himself out of bed. He remembered the mess in his living room, but still didn't feel like facing it. Instead, he crossed his bedroom to a cabinet and opened it, looking for something. He found the book buried under a few other nicks and knacks and rubbed the dust off of it. He slowly made his way back over to his bed where he sat down, fingering the cover of the photo album. He finally shook off his fears and flipped it open to the front page. The first picture was of a young quartet, and he had a shadow of a smile as he thought of his time at Marty Openheimer's. The next page had pictures of him dancing with a beautiful young woman.

"Oh, Bev…" he said softly. He sat for more than an hour, flipping through each page, reliving each memory.

 _Cole_

Everything was white, and then Cole found himself in a sunlit house, lost in a memory.

"You have a good heart Cole…promise me…promise me you will always listen to it. No matter what goes on around you, I need you to always fight to do the right thing."

He looked up, but his mother faded away, and the room around him faded as well. The clean, bright floors suddenly seemed older, and as Cole blinked he realized they were littered with broken glass, knocked over tables, and fallen trophies and medals.

He took a deep breath as he looked around, and his ribs ached. He smiled in spite of the sharp pain; he was back home…he was still alive.

He heard a chuckle and a sniff come from down the hall. It seemed to be coming from his father's bedroom; his heart pounded as he realized that his Dad was home. Cole reached behind him, trying to use a nearby table to help him get to his feet.

 _Lou_

A loud crash from his living room jolted Lou out of his thoughts. The photo album slammed shut as he jumped to his feet. Who on earth was in his home? Looters? He grabbed one of his canes and carefully made his way down the hall.

"Who's there?!" he called sternly.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to…"

Lou heard the voice and dropped his arm, his mouth suddenly dry. He didn't dare get his hopes up, but that sounded just like…

He rounded the corner and there was Cole, smiling sheepishly from his position on the floor among the debris. The performer froze.

"Dad…I…"

"Is it really you?" Lou's voice was low, like he didn't actually believe what he was seeing.

Cole trailed off his thought and nodded. His father approached slowly, kneeling down next to him. He reached for Cole, still not convinced that this wasn't just the fantasy of a broken-hearted father. As his hand rested on a solid shoulder, he sagged with relief and joy.

"I'm so sorry, Pop…" Cole mumbled as they hugged. Lou let out a little sob-laugh.

"How are you alive? How did you come back?"

"I never should have left in the first place."

 _Wu_

Wu boarded the Ultra-Dragon slowly, turning back to those standing in front of the temple. Everyone had left their various jobs to come back and say goodbye. Even Jay was out of the hospital now, though his shoulder was still bandaged with his arm bound in a sling. The Dragon Master felt an ache of sadness as he looked at each of his students, his brother, his nephew, and their good friends. He couldn't help but feel a swell of pride towards each of them; they had come together and despite all they had saved their realm. But now he had to say goodbye so that he could go help keep another one safe. He returned the final waves everyone gave and turned to the silent Oni sitting behind him.

"Are you ready to go?"

She gave a slight nod, not looking at him. She was still fingering that small piece of black cloth he had found in the temple grounds. The Dragon took off and Wu steered it towards a small house on the outskirts of Ninjago City; their last stop before they went back to the first realm.

Keyda was silent for the entirety of the trip. At first Wu wondered what he should say, and then it occurred to him that it would be best if he didn't say anything at all. It was a little hard to find a place to land a dragon in the windy cobblestone streets, but The Dragon Master finally found a large enough place.

"Do you know what it is you wanted to say?" Wu asked gently as the two of them made their way to Lou's house. Keyda shrugged.

"I…I just wanted to say thank you." she said softly, the black cloth hidden in her left fist. She couldn't explain why she felt like she needed to see Cole's father before she left, but she _did._ She didn't expect Wu to understand but at least he had allowed the detour.

Wu approached the door and knocked. They waited a few minutes, and Wu wondered if Lou wasn't at home after all. He was about to knock again when the door swung open, revealing a bewildered Lou.

"Wu! How did you know? Did…did you have something to do with it?"

Wu blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry, Lou…I don't know what you're talking about…"

Lou ushered them in quickly, and Wu and Keyda looked at each other before entering the house.

"I was about to call you, of course…but I've just had the hardest time wrapping my own mind around it…"

The performer continued talking as he led them through his house. Nothing he was saying made much sense; the Dragon Master and the Oni followed blankly down the hall and into a bedroom. They both stopped dead as they caught sight of the figure seated on Lou's bed. Keyda's black scrap fluttered to the ground.

Cole looked up in surprise as Wu and Keyda followed his father into the room. Moments before the knock had sounded he and Lou had been looking through old pictures, but now the album nearly fell off his lap as he tried to think of what to say to the unexpected visitors.

Wu stood with his mouth open. "How…is this possible?"

Everyone was silent for a few minutes as they looked at Cole for an explanation. He cleared his throat, not even knowing how to begin to explain what had happened since last he had seen them.

"Um…I guess I really am just a hard guy to get rid of…" he said awkwardly. Wu shook his head, still baffled. Keyda suddenly burst into laughter, taking everyone by surprise.

"You _Idiot!"_ she said, moving to hug him fiercely. Cole froze for a few moments before moving to hug her back. He would have thought she'd be _angry…_

"Keyds _…_ I…"

She just hugged tighter, eyes closed. The tears were coming now and she buried her face into him as she cried. His attempt at an apology trailed off as he held her close. Lou and Wu watched for a few moments and then slowly exited the room. Wu rubbed his chin, still shocked.

"I don't understand, Lou…how…?"

"I really don't know; he just showed up in my living room." The performer shook his head. "I couldn't believe it at first…but I think it's really him. He was a little disoriented, and he's still pretty banged up…"

Wu tried to reason through the conundrum for a few more moments before he finally just laughed. Why did it matter how Cole had gotten back? He was back.

"Can I borrow your phone?"

 _Jay_

Jay sat on the couch, staring at the bag that held his video game equipment. He still wasn't feeling great, and Wu leaving only made everything seem bleaker. In fact, given how lousy he felt, it was hard to believe that in the past week they had saved not one, but _two_ realms. He heard a phone ringing somewhere in the temple and frowned. Who on earth was calling now? Could Ninjago already be in trouble again? He groaned as he fell backwards on the couch. Well, if it was, they could count him out; he didn't really feel like saving the world again anytime soon.

His mind wandered, and he found himself thinking about the offer Borg had given him. Inventing alongside his all-time favorite inventor? Of course he wanted to…but every time he thought about it the heavy feeling of sorrow set back in and he found himself not wanting to do anything at all.

"Jay!"

Nya was in the doorway, looking…well, Jay wasn't really sure what to call that expression. Flustered? Rattled? Maybe even…excited? He looked at her, confused.

"That call…that was Wu…" she started. Jay sat up as she talked, wincing as he accidently jarred his shoulder.

"He decide he's not going after all?" he asked, not even daring to have hope.

"No…he's found him…Wu found Cole."

Jay stared at her, eyes wide. Nya wasn't even sure if he had heard her or not. She knelt in front of him.

"Jay…he's alive!" she said, and his eyes finally seemed to focus as he stood up. She blinked in surprise as he hurried to the doorway. He turned back to Nya, incredulous.

"What are you waiting for?!"

 _Keyda_

Keyda eventually stopped crying, but she made no attempt to move. Sitting there in his arms, with his hand stroking her hair, it was like she finally felt safe for the first time. The joy of the moment was passing though as she realized that she still had to go back. She still had to leave him.

Cole was realizing the same thing as he held her. They had gotten through so many other things…surely they could figure out some way that they could still be together…

"Why does it have to be so hard?" Keyda murmured. His hand came to a rest and he sighed. When he didn't say anything she took a shuddery breath and continued.

"You've put me through agony, you know that? A week ago I didn't even know what feelings were…and now you've gone and dragged me through the whole spectrum."

He laughed at that and she couldn't help but smile. But the comfort of the moment was tainted by the fact that she knew it had an expiration date. She was tired of getting him back just to lose him; she wasn't sure she could do it again.

"I'll come with you." he said softly, and her breath caught. She realized how much she wanted him to…but as she fingered the bandages that were somehow still tied around his ribcage, she knew that he couldn't. He was back, but he was still broken. Besides, he belonged here…

"You'll go to a hospital." she said firmly. He opened his mouth to argue and she pulled away enough to glare up at him.

"You promised, remember? And if I remember right… you said a _month_."

He shook his head; it was hard to take her seriously with her hair plastered to the tears on her face. He wanted to argue his point more, but one look at her expression and he knew there wasn't any point. He brushed the hair off of her face and gave her his own determined look.

"Then…I'd better see you in a month."

She didn't know what to say to that, so she leaned her head on his shoulder and let him hold her a little longer.

 _ **117**_

Nya insisted that Jay ride on her elemental dragon with her; she wasn't sure if his emotions would make his own disappear mid-flight.

Jay turned to face her as they flew.

"What if…what if Wu was mistaken…what if all the stress has gotten to him and he's just _cracked?! WHAT IF…"_

 _"Jay!"_ she said, interrupting his panicking. Part of her was relieved that he was starting to sound like his old self, but the other part of her was having similar doubts. If Wu had been wrong, she wasn't sure she could watch Jay's disappointment.

"Sorry…it's just…" he trailed off, trying to see how close they were to Lou's house.

"I know," she said, taking his hand with a smile. She turned to see that Kai and Zane weren't too far off on their own dragons. They reached their destination a few minutes later, the dragons dissolving as they jumped off onto the cobbled streets. Jay ran over to the door of the home, which had been left ajar. He pushed it open and saw Lou busy picking up various things off the floor. He looked up to see all the ninja in his doorway and raised his eyebrows.

"I should have started cleaning earlier…" he mused as they pushed their way in.

"Sorry to impose…" Zane started, but Jay cut off the nindroid off.

"Where is he?"

Lou straightened, back braced with one arm. He pointed down the hall to a bedroom.

"He's down in there. I don't suppose you would all like to help get him to the hospital? He…can't walk at the moment…"

The ninja didn't seem to hear him as they followed Jay down the hall. The Master of Lightning pushed the door open. He shook his head as he saw his friend, sitting on the bed getting examined by Wu. He barely even noticed Keyda sitting nearby.

"You just had to give us all a _HEART ATTACK, didn't you!?"_ Jay said.

Cole smiled. "Guys…"

"I just want to go down in the books as saying _I told you so..._ you're a _stubborn, thick headed, boulder brain…and…and…"_

Jay trailed off as his friends pushed past him to give Cole a hug. The blue ninja started laughing, having forgotten what he was ranting about. Cole was back…he had made it. Somehow or another, he had made it.

"Alright, _move over!"_ he said, and his friends moved enough to give him space in the group hug.

 _Keyda_

Keyda decided that she didn't like hospitals. Every hall looked the same…blinding lights, a strange chemical smell…white on white on white. She shuddered. The healers back home were rudimentary compared to the building she was currently in, but she decided she preferred them just the same.

Ever since they had gotten here, it had been hustle and bustle by men and women in long white coats. Keyda had shrunk into a corner as doctors, and visitors came in and out. Now things had finally seemed to calm down, and she realized how desperately tired she was. She didn't dare fall asleep though; Wu would be back any minute to tell her it was time to go. She sighed. It wasn't like Cole was even _awake_ to talk to her, though. She waited in her corner chair, listening to the steady beeping that someone had explained was his heartbeat. She shuddered; rather than help her relax, the constant sound creeped her out more than anything.

The other ninja had been around for most of the afternoon and into the evening, but now they had all wandered off to let him sleep. The only other person still in the room was Cole's father, sitting in a chair near the bed. A few minutes ago a doctor had brought in some kind of file and handed it to the mustached man, but he seemed hesitant to look through it. Keyda watched him fiddle with the corners of the file until he finally opened it. His jaw clenched as he studied the contents, finally closing the file again with a sigh. It made her worry; she pushed herself out of her seat and walked over.

"What is that?"

Lou looked up at her in surprise, as if he forgot that she was in the room. He looked back at the file and waved a hand dismissively.

"Ah…just…just some X-rays the doctor's brought in…"

"Exrays?" she asked, not understanding. He smiled briefly.

"They let the doctors see inside someone…the status of one's skeleton, for instance…"

Keyda just shook her head. This realm just got more gruesome the longer she stayed.

"And…is it bad news?" she pressed further. Lou sighed again.

"Nothing life threatening…" he said, before looking over at his sleeping son. "But I think it may be a long road to recovery."

She nodded. She had assumed that much, at least. They spent a few minutes in silence, lost in their own thoughts. After a bit she turned to the man again.

"Um…sir…"

He laughed at that. "You can just call me Lou, if you'd like." he looked over at her, his expression becoming a little sheepish. "And…I must admit, I don't think I ever learned your name, miss…"

"Keyda." She rubbed her arm. "I…I wanted to say thank you. For what you did back at the temple." She felt foolish, not used to verbalizing gratitude. He just looked at her, surprised.

"I…I'm not sure I did much…"

She shrugged. "You did something. I don't know what would have happened…" she trailed off, feeling frustrated by her inability to express what she wanted. "I couldn't control it."

He laughed softly. "What…control grief? I'd be impressed if you could. Feelings aren't really something anyone can _control_." He was silent a moment before looking back over at her. "It's good to meet you, Keyda. I wish we could have met under…better circumstances,"

She thought about everything that had happened the last few days and briefly wondered how everything would have changed if it had all gone the way it was supposed to in the first place.

"Keyda,"

She looked up and saw Wu in the doorway, looking tired. He gave her a sad smile and she nodded her understanding. It was time to go.

She turned to Lou and gave him a ghost of a smile.

"It was good to meet you too. It was nice to see where he gets it from," she turned and walked away, leaving Lou to puzzle over what she meant by 'it.' She walked over to where Cole was, still deep asleep. She wanted to wake him up to say goodbye, but as she looked at him she realized that it would just make everything harder. She smoothed his hair out of the way so she could kiss him gently on the forehead before turning to go. She opened the door that led out into the blinding white hallway.

"Keyds?"

She couldn't help but turn at his hoarse and sleepy voice. He was squinting after her, eyes still half closed.

"One month, yeah?"

She gave a little smile, but didn't meet his eye.

"Goodbye, Cole."

And with that, she was gone.

 _ **118**_

"It's a rhythm, Cole…" Lou chided, and his son groaned in frustration.

"I think this stick is defective," he grumbled, glaring at the cane in his hand.

"It's for support, you see…it's _not_ a third leg…" Lou was laughing now as Cole attempted to cross the room once again, stumbling as he continued to use the cane in the wrong spot. He shook his head, letting the cane clatter to the floor.

"Nope…not worth the trouble,"

Lou sighed, bending to pick up the cane as Cole made his way to a nearby chair. They were in the floating temple, with most of the place to themselves as everyone else was off somewhere or another.

"The doctor said if you ever want to get rid of the limp, you're going to have to use the cane for a bit…" he reminded, but Cole just shrugged. His father came over to sit next to him, not saying anything. A few minutes later Lou's watch began beeping, and he sighed in irritation as he turned off the alarm.

"It's alright Pop." Cole said, leaning back in the chair. Lou smiled briefly.

"It's nothing important…"

Cole snorted. "Just that play you've been working on for the last three months…" he trailed off, suddenly wrapped up in some other thought. Lou sighed again.

"And Ronin does get testy when I'm late to rehearsal…something about wasting his time or whatnot…" He shook his head. "Just…say the word, and I'll…"

"Dad." Cole cut him off, sounding irritated. "I'm fine. Honest."

Lou didn't look convinced and Cole rolled his eyes.

"Jay will be back in less than an hour from Borg Tower…so it's not like I'll be here by myself. You can go."

Lou still felt torn, but he was realizing that his son was feeling a little smothered.

"If you need anything, just call…" he said, heading to the pulley system outside. With all the non-ninja visitors, Jay had whipped it up as a way to help people get up and down.

Cole waved with one hand, not looking up. He was still busy staring at the cane Lou had left leaning against his chair.

 _Lloyd_

Lloyd looked over at his father as they pulled up to the prison. Garmadon looked quite content behind the driver's wheel, though his smile faded as he saw his son's expression.

"You're under no obligation to do this, Lloyd." he reminded. Lloyd shrugged.

"I know…but…it kinda feels like I am. Even if it's just to myself."

Garmadon switched the car off and they went to go inside. After they had been through all the different checkpoints and scans they were led down a few hallways.

"She's been in solitary for a while…" the warden explained as they went deeper in the prison. "She has a bad effect in the other syndicate members in the prison, you understand…"

Lloyd didn't answer, still steeling himself for the conversation that was coming. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his Dad looking at him. He smiled up at him, trying to act like nothing was wrong.

They finally got to the end of a hallway, where a thick steel door was barred. Lloyd felt goosebumps rise, but he couldn't back down now. He nodded at the warden, who nodded back before banging on the door twice.

"You've got a visitor!" he called. He turned to Lloyd. "No promises she'll even say anything…she's hardly said a dozen words since she's been here."

The door opened, and Lloyd closed his eyes briefly to compose himself. There in the small, dark room, Harumi sat on a simple prison bed. The Warden went in, listing off rights and expectations as he handcuffed her. She didn't ever look up, her outgrown bangs hanging in her face and covering her eyes. He ushered Lloyd and Garmadon into the room.

"I'll be right outside the door." he said, before locking them in with her. Lloyd wished his mouth wasn't so dry…and that he knew what to say. To everyone's surprise, she was the one who spoke first.

"I figured you'd come sooner or later…"

Her voice was hoarse, as if it hadn't been used in a while. It sent more goosebumps up Lloyd's arms but his body language betrayed nothing but cool assurance as she continued.

"I just didn't think it would take _three months…._ what on earth have you been up to, Lloyd?"

Her voice still had that honey sound to it…it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Well, there's been plenty to do, thanks to you," he finally said. She chuckled without humor, finally glancing up at them. Her eyes had dark circles under them.

"Still playing hero, then?" she asked quietly. Garmadon shifted position by the door and her eyes darted over to him. "Speaking of false heroes…"

"Just stop, Harumi." Lloyd said, cutting her off. She just laughed at him; a rusty, bitter sound.

"I'm sorry…did I offend your father? Tell me, how is the general public reacting to following the man who destroyed their city in the first place?"

Lloyd glared and Garmadon clenched his jaw, and she shook her head, amused.

"Oh…I suppose he wouldn't really be out in the spotlight, would he? How much longer do you think you'll have to hide him before the public just forgets what he's done?"

"Everything that happened…was _your_ fault." Lloyd said, trying to keep his anger at bay. He should have known this was a bad idea. "And besides…"

"I suppose the public does have a short memory…they are often easily swayed, the public…" she said thoughtfully. "But the true question is if you've forgiven him, Lloyd…I mean, what he did to you, your friends." She smiled cruelly. "Not all wounds heal neatly, you know…"

"This is _not_ why we're here." Lloyd said, voice rising. She tilted her head, her dirty hair falling to the side.

"Ah….so why _are_ you here, Lloyd? Come to convert me to your righteous ways? Help me turn my life around?"

He exhaled angrily. "To be honest? I don't know…."

She shook her head in a patronizing way.

"Well sorry to have wasted your oh-so-precious time…" she murmured poisonously.

Lloyd shrugged.

"I just didn't know how long you would last in here…trapped with your own hatred and need for revenge…"

Her eyes flashed.

"Is that why you waited so long?"

He didn't answer and she just scoffed.

"You didn't want to come here, did you Lloyd? You're just here on a trip of conscious…even after everything I did to you, you couldn't let me die in those tunnels. You can't just let me rot here either…all part of that hero complex of yours, I suppose."

He didn't speak for a few minutes. She had looked back down, her hair covering her expression once again.

"Rumi…"

She didn't appear to have heard him at all, and he had a feeling that she was done talking today. He stood and looked over at his father. They knocked twice on the door and Lloyd looked back before they left.

"I'll be back…next week."

There was no answer as the door slammed shut, the echo of it ringing in Lloyd's ears as they made their way back out.

 _Jay_

Jay got home and threw his bag on the nearby chair, massaging his stiff shoulder. He headed up the stairs to get something to eat and then poked his head in the room with his video games. Sure enough, Cole was lounging on the couch, controller in hand.

"You better not be trying to beat my high score…" Jay said, tone mock-serious. Cole didn't respond and Jay shook his head as he came in and grabbed another controller to join his friend.

"You sure have been quiet recently…" he continued, adding his player to the screen.

"And you've been nosy." Cole responded dully.

They played awhile, Jay debating whether or not to address the elephant in the room. He guided his onscreen avatar around a bunch of sky mines.

"Maybe…maybe they're just stuck in traffic. Really bad, inter-realm traffic."

Cole's character dove to avoid a mine. He didn't ask who Jay was talking about, and he didn't reply. They reached the end of the first mine maze and entered the second level.

"I'm sure they'll visit sometime…" Jay added, and Cole's button pressing became more forceful.

"Guess there's no way to tell." he snapped, doing a barrel roll onscreen to avoid a trio bunch of mines. "I mean, maybe they're just busy…or maybe something awful happened." His character was zipping between the mines now, and Jay was struggling to keep up. "Or _maybe_ they just….forgot." Cole's avatar slammed into the mines a few meters from the finish-line, and the screen dissolved into fire and bouncing "game over" text. Cole tossed his controller on the ground in disgust, leaning back in his seat. Jay shook his head at his moody friend.

"Look, Cole…I get you're upset…but even if they _did_ come to visit, what then? I mean, she's still got a whole nation full of anger-management cases to run. So unless someone took her place and she could move here _indefinitely…_ there's really no point in getting hung up on it, you know?"

Not surprisingly, Jay's points did nothing to lighten Cole's sour mood. The Master of Lightening sighed, exasperated.

"Honestly, unless you were planning on going back with _her,_ there's no…" he trailed off when he caught a flash of guilt in Cole's expression. He sat up, incredulous.

"Oh I see how it is…we get you back just in time for you to run off again." he snapped. Cole sighed, irritated.

"It's not like you guys need me around here anyways…"

"Oh yeah, it's not like you're part of the _team_ or anything!"

"What have I done the last three months, huh?!" Cole asked, yelling now. "I don't really have a _lot to offer_ at the moment…"

Jay threw his hands up in the air, ready to argue further, but Cole suddenly deflated, leaning back in the chair once again.

"It doesn't even matter anyways. I…I don't think she's ever coming back."

Jay's own anger fizzled out as he saw Cole's expression. He couldn't help wondering what _was_ taking Wu and Keyda so long to visit. No one really talked about it—especially not in front of Cole—but it was troubling to know that something crazy could have happened in the first realm and none of them would ever know about it. When they didn't show up after that first month, Jay was hoping that Cole would just…just move on. But as he looked at the master of earth's dejected posture, he knew that he wasn't moving on at all.

 _ **119**_

"I heard that you're giving my enforcers a hard time, Silas."

Keyda spoke calmly, but there was a threatening undertone to her words. The Oni she was facing narrowed his eyes, as if he refused to be cowed by her. When he didn't say anything, Keyda consulted her list.

"You still have 3 dragons in custody, Silas. That goes directly against the union that was made…"

"I ain't got _nothin'_ to do with your cursed _union!"_ the Oni spat. She glanced up at him, eyebrow raised.

"Releasing the dragons isn't a _choice,_ Silas. You had your chance to do it willingly…now my enforcing team is going to have to get involved." she nodded at the group of guards to her left and they pushed their way past Silas to get into the cave where he was keeping his dragons. Silas yelled at them, but when that didn't work he turned his fury to the girl in front of him.

"You think you're so high and mighty?" He yelled. "You're nothin' but a dragon-loving fraud!" He raised both fists and Keyda resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He leapt forward to swing a fist, but one blast from her sent him flying backwards. He landed hard and a few more guards had grabbed him before he could even attempt to get back on his feet.

"And _that_ just earned you six months jail time." Keyda said coolly as she turned to walk away. She had only gotten a few yards when Heavy Metal materialized by her side. She didn't even glance at him as she looked at the list again.

"He's last for today, yeah?" she asked, glancing over as the heavily-scarred Oni nodded. She exhaled, giving him the scroll. "Good. I have a headache."

He took the list, but was still looking at her with an unreadable expression as they walked. She finally looked over at him, annoyed.

"Let me guess…still wish the Baron was running the place, huh?" she asked bitterly. He shook his head.

"You're doing better than you think you are," he commented, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, is _that_ why all the higher castes want my head?"

"There are plenty of unhappy Oni, I won't lie about that." Heavy Metal admitted. "But you've earned a lot of their respect over the past few months…there are very few that would actually go out of their way to harm ya."

"Gee…considering that the last _three_ visits ended with idiots trying to attack me…"

"Begrudging farmers don't count." Heavy Metal said with a small smile. "They don't really stand a chance against ya…"

"Oh, so you're only counting the threats that could actually _work_ in getting rid of me. Good to know." She sped up her pace, eager to get back to the fortress so she could have some time to sit down. _Alone._

He matched her pace.

"You've been pretty miserable ever since you got back." he noted.

"I'll work on my cheerful mask." she said dully. She could see the fortress now. It was hard getting everywhere by foot without Dragon transport; she was glad that Silas's village wasn't that far out.

Heavy Metal just shook his head, as if he had decided against saying what he was thinking.

"I should warn you, while you've been out, the Dragon Master came to visit."

"What a pity I missed him."

"Well, he insisted on waiting at the fortress for ya…"

"Of course he did." she growled. Just what she needed…another union meeting. Like her head didn't hurt enough already.

After another hour or so they had reached the fortress. She headed up the steps and one of the servants informed her that Wu was waiting in the Baron's office. Well… _her_ office.

"Tell him he'll have to wait a little longer. I'm getting something to eat."

She went to the kitchen and was able to pick something up. She thought about just going to her room and ignoring Wu entirely, but she knew that she'd get more peace if she just went to the stupid meeting. She dragged herself up more stairs, headed to the office. She opened the heavy door and was surprised by what she saw.

Wu was old…older than he had even been at the last meeting a month ago.

"Wow…what happened?" she asked, her irate mood lessening somewhat at the sight of his long white beard. He smiled at her, eyes twinkling.

"I've finally returned to normal," he said simply, as if that explained everything. She shook her head.

"Normal? You're… _ancient!"_

"More than you know." Wu agreed. Keyda took a seat, still munching on the chunk of bread she had picked up. After a few minutes she swallowed, clearing her throat.

"Look…I don't know if we could reschedule this meeting for another time, but…"

"I didn't come to have a meeting, Keyda." Her brows furrowed and she looked at him quizzically as he continued. "I'm going back to Ninjago, to see how everything is going there. I came to ask if you wanted to come with me."

Her wall went up, almost visibly.

"No…I don't." she stood up to leave, but Wu had stood as well.

"It'll crush him, you know. If I show up without you." he said, going straight to the point.

She paused on her way to the door, jaw clenched. She finally turned back towards the old man.

"He'll get over it."

Wu shook his head, as if not understanding. That only made her angry.

"Don't pretend like you don't understand!" she snapped. "You _know_ why I can't go back…why you could never bring him here."

"Do I?"

The feelings she had been pushing off for the last few months resurfaced and she wanted to strangle him.

"It would never _work._ Neither of us could ever go to the other realm….we don't belong! And what's the point in visiting?! It just starts the painful process all over again!" She was yelling and she noticed Heavy Metal looking at her from his head-guard position by the door. She didn't care what either of them thought of her…she had come to this conclusion a long time ago.

"He's got to move on…he's got a life to lead. I'm not going to…to keep him attached through a few days every couple months. There's no point." She sat heavily, eyeing the Dragon Master.

"If you want to go visit, then fine. But _don't_ ask me to come along." She gave him an intense look. "And don't you _dare_ bring him back with you."

"You're taking _his_ choice out of all of this…" Wu pointed out. She slammed her hands on the desk. The sound echoed in the room in a satisfying way as she glared at the man across from her.

"He comes here, and he's just going to become something for my enemies to target…. _again._ He's safe now, that's what's important. The second that he comes here…"

"He's still an elemental Master, Keyda…he's part of a team who fights evil every day. It doesn't matter where he is, he would always be in danger."

She scoffed. "So what, you're a fan of him coming here, then?"

"I just want him to be able to make his own choice in the matter." Wu said calmly. There was silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "We were supposed to visit months ago…"

"I never agreed to that." she snapped. "I _never_ said I would." She pointed a finger at him, furious. "Don't you dare undo everything we've done up to this point by…"

"That's enough, Keyda." Wu said, cutting her off. She flushed; she hated it when he treated her like some young, irrational person. The Dragon Master stood and headed for the door. He paused before leaving, glancing back at her.

"I don't leave for a few more days…let me know if you change your mind."

She watched him go in silence. After a few minutes she put her elbows on the large desk so she could hold her pounding head. Heavy Metal came closer and she glared at the table.

"Go away…" she ordered, but her captain of the guard didn't leave. She looked up at him, furious.

"I said…"

"I heard you." he said softly.

She stared at him, trying to figure out what his deal was.

"What? Don't tell me you agree with _him!"_ she said angrily. When Heavy Metal didn't respond she scoffed.

" _You're_ the one who was mad at me for leaving the last time!" she accused. She gestured to the list that he had left on her desk. "I can hardly go _anywhere_ with things like this piling…"

"Nah…" he shook his head, cutting her off. "Don't go pretending like you're hanging back due to a sense a duty. If this whole 'united nation' could survive being deserted in its beginning, then it can certainly survive it now."

She didn't respond, deciding to angrily attack the rest of the bread she had brought up. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone?!

"You're afraid," the scarred Oni pointed out, and she glared daggers.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." she snapped. "Why don't you do what you do best and _shut up?"_

"The slaves have been talking," he said, ignoring her angry response. "You're not sleeping well at night…the nightmares aren't going away…"

She didn't say anything, tearing into the last of her lunch.

"Why does it scare you so much to see them again?"

Her brain pounded; her thoughts and emotions all felt jumbled together.

"I can't go back there…alright? If I were to see him now…if there were no more obstacles…" She held her head again, letting out a frustrated groan. "Don't you get it!? If I were to get him back now, I'll never let him go again. I'm staying away…to _protect him!"_

"From what?" Heavy Metal just shook his head. "This realm? Those… 'enemies' you mentioned to the Dragon Master?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or…you?"

She didn't respond. She was done with this conversation…she was done explaining herself. She pushed herself up out of her chair.

"You aren't the reason that he and his friends were in danger here. The Baron would have targeted, manipulated, _hurt_ them regardless. Keyda…you're the reason that they're all still _alive."_

"What do you know anyways?" she muttered, headed for the exit. He grabbed her arm and she glared at him.

"I was there….through the whole thing. I watched every phase of the Baron's plan…I had a front row seat."

She pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"Why do you even _care?!_ Why does it even matter?!"

"Because we just got done having an unfeeling leader. I thought things would be different under you."

She froze, turning on him again in disbelief.

"Are you seriously comparing me to the _Baron?!"_

"Iron Baron _couldn't_ feel compassion or love…and you _won't_ let yourself feel them. In the end, is there really much difference?"

She just stared at him, incredulous. Was he insane?!

"You're the only Oni in the whole realm that even knows what love feels like…who is even _able_ to feelit. And you won't even let yourself..." he sounded a little angry now. "So you go ahead and shut down…it's good to know that in the end, everything's just been for nothin' anyways!"

She stormed out of the room, eyes blazing. She wanted to blast him, but she restrained herself. Why couldn't everyone just _leave her alone?!_ Why did she have to explain everything she did….everything she felt? Why did it matter so much what she did with her own life?!

The door to her quarters slammed shut and she began pacing.

 _ **120**_

Wu came by the fortress the day he left, but Keyda had locked herself in her quarters and wouldn't come out. Even Heavy Metal couldn't get in to talk to her.

She sat on the floor, in the middle of a thick rug. These quarters were just another reminder of how her lot had changed; the floors were carpeted, her bed was large, and there was random furniture spread throughout. The Baron had liked his opulence.

Her arms were wrapped around her knees in her thinking pose. She ignored the many knocks on the door to inform her of various things; she let out a sigh of relief when they finally stopped coming.

Of course she wanted to see him. But she couldn't go… _Didn't any of them realize?!_ This was the way it had to be…

She shuddered, and her eyes filled with tears. Why couldn't she just be strong enough? Why did it have to hurt so much?

She felt a hand on her shoulder and stiffened; who could possibly have gotten in here?!

"Oh…dear Keyda…"

Her blood ran cold and she began trembling. It…wasn't possible…

She bolted forward, away from the speaker. She turned, eyes wide…and sure enough, the Baron was standing behind her wearing his classic amused expression.

She shook her head.

"You're dead….you're _dead_ and this isn't _real_!" she shouted. Just another nightmare. He laughed.

"Does it matter?"

She launched Hatred at him, but he had vanished. He appeared behind her, close enough to whisper in her ear.

"Is that any way to treat the man who raised you?"

She screamed in anger, whipping around with a glowing fist, but he was gone once again.

"You didn't raise me….you _enslaved_ me!" she yelled, trying to figure out where he was. She was shaking as she ran to her bedroom door, trying to get out, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly the door handle disappeared and she shook her head again, expression a mix of fear and disgust.

"Look how far you've come, Keyda…those fancy clothes are quite the step up from your lower-class rags…"

She closed her eyes, back still turned to the room. She had to wake up eventually…she would just ignore him till then.

"All you ever wanted was to change your station in life. So why is it you're still so unhappy?" He smiled sardonically. "Leading the Oni…it's no easy task, is it?"

She sank to the floor, hands over her ears. But she could still hear him…it was as if he was speaking right into her mind.

"Or perhaps your misery is because you are trying…unsuccessfully….to escape your own nature? You're an _ONI_ , Keyda. Nothing is ever going to change that."

" _Leave me alone!"_

She felt herself getting blasted backwards, and her eyes flew open so she could catch herself. She wasn't even in the fortress anymore; she was surrounded by huge trees, like the kind she had seen in Ninjago. The Baron stood a few feet away, examining something in his hand. She glared at him and he finally glanced up at the trees.

"All the potential to grow an enormous tree is found in one of its single seeds…" he said, holding one up for her to see. "Your seed has cracked, Keyda…you've started to grow. But you continue to refuse to reach your full potential…you are _stunting_ your own growth…"

"I don't _care_ what you think… _You're DEAD! You aren't even REAL!"_

The scene flashed around them, and she was back in her room. Her fingers dug into the thick carpet as she tried to ground herself.

"You've been pushing off the Oni nature for too long, my dear Keyda."

She felt bile rise as he spoke. Why was it she could never be free of this monster?

"The power of Hatred is just the beginning!" He spread his arms out with a smile, as if ready to show her a world of possibilities. She chucked more aura at him, but it had no effect, crashing into the wall behind him. He didn't even miss a beat.

"You don't have to abide by any moral compass…you don't have to keep yourself _stunted_. Keyda, when an Oni wants something…they _take it!"_

Her memory flashed back to when Garmadon had told her something similar. She shook the memory away, but the Baron laughed, as if he had seen it too.

"I wanted control…Garmadon wanted power…and you…" he smiled in that patronizing way she had always hated. "You want that boy…"

" _STOP!"_ she screamed. Why wouldn't she wake up? Why was she always trapped in these pointless nightmares, haunted by demons?

"You can deny it all you want, Keyda, but Oni nature is obsessive, neurotic even. You see, you'll never have any peace until you have gained what you want."

She had moved to a far wall, trying to put as much distance between them as possible, but now he was moving closer and she couldn't retreat any further.

"You can try to deny it, and you even did a good job suppressing it…but your reaction after he disappeared speaks volumes, don't you think?"

She lobbed more power at him, desperate to make him go away, but there was still no effect.

"You couldn't control it…because it was a reaction that stemmed from an obsessive Oni desire…"

" _GET AWAY FROM ME!"_

"Just go and take him, Keyda. He wouldn't fight it…he would come willingly! Why won't you just allow yourself to…"

"He wouldn't know what he was agreeing to!" she yelled back. "He would have no friends, no life…stuck in this horrible realm?" She shook as she thought about it. "But once he was here…I…I would never let him leave…"

"Of course not," The Baron said evenly. "After everything you've been through, he would be yours to own…"

"He's a person!" she snapped. The Baron was right in front of her now. "I can't own a _person…"_

"An Oni can own whatever she wants…" The Baron said softly, kneeling down to be eye-level. She gave him a murderous look, but he smiled blithely, tutting.

"Oh Keyda…you still won't just accept who you are…and you'll never be what you were meant to be until you do…"

He reached out a gloved hand and touched her face. She wanted to destroy him, but for some reason she was frozen in place.

"My little monster…"

The spell was suddenly broken, and she screamed and lashed out. But he was gone… and her eyes flew open. She was lying on her back, on the rug she had been on originally.

She shook her head, unable to clear it from the words of her demons. She curled up on the rug and cried.

 _Kai_

Kai carefully walked towards the kitchen, having successfully balanced 14 noodle bowls. Skylor shook her head a few feet away.

"Kai…it's _okay_ to make several trips…" she chastised. His brows were knit in concentration, but he flashed a smirk in her direction.

"The thing is, I'm way better than just _okay._ Trust me….I can get all of these in there, no problem. That's just the kind of efficiency…"

His com-link went off, causing him to lose his concentration. The pile of bowls wobbled dangerously and he spent of few panicked moments getting them all realigned. He glanced over at Skylor, sheepish, as his wrist continued to beep.

"Uh…could you maybe…"

She rolled her eyes, smiling, and came over to press the button on his wrist. Zane's voice crackled.

 _"P.I.X.A.L and I have just picked up a surge of dragon energy…"_

"Looks like they finally came to visit!" Skylor said, looking up at Kai. He nodded, looking a little relieved.

"It's about time…"

" _Can you meet at the temple?"_

"Sure thing, Zane….see ya soon." Kai said. The com-link clicked off.

"I was starting to get worried they weren't ever coming back," Skylor said, pulling the top seven bowls off Kai's stack. He made an incredulous sound.

"I had it under control!" he complained. She leaned in.

"I know. I just wanted to help," she said, kissing him on the cheek. His face turned red and his arguments died in his throat as she walked away, carrying the bowls to the kitchen.

He was frozen for another thirty seconds or so before he moved to follow her.

"So…we still on for dinner tonight?" he asked, voice slightly higher than normal. She laughed in reply.

 _Ninja_

"It's an impressive display," Nya said, admiring the room. Screens covered two of the walls, with tables full of panels and different kinds of measurement instruments. P.I.X.A.L smiled at the compliment, sliding her hand into Zane's.

"We based it on what we started down in Skylor's dojo," The android explained. "Though we wanted this model to be a little bit better than the first, given that we no longer have the Bounty or the Samurai X cave…"

Nya laughed, testing the different filters and scanners. "Hey…the dojo model was pretty good considering what we had to work with!"

They were in one of the top rooms of the floating temple, waiting for the Ultra-Dragon to show up.

"Hey, this is sweet!"

Jay walked in, his inventing bag still slung over his shoulder. Nya smiled at him.

"How was work?"

He shrugged, not doing a good job at hiding his smugness.

"Oh, you know…can't really talk about it. New prototypes, very hush hush, you understand."

"Oh, I _see…"_ she rolled her eyes as she gave him a welcoming hug.

"So, is this set-up how you knew Wu and Keyda were coming?" Jay asked, turning to Zane. The nindroid shared a look with P.I.X.A.L.

"We did implement scanners searching specifically for Oni and Dragon signatures, so it is how we were made aware…" P.I.X.A.L started.

"But in our analysis, we didn't pick up any Oni signatures." Zane finished. Everyone was quiet for a moment while the meaning of what they said sank in.

"Oh…that's not gonna go over well…" Jay said.

"What's not going to go over well?"

Kai appeared at the doorway with Skylor. Their friends filled them in and Kai shook his head.

"I mean…there really isn't any reason for her to visit…except, you know, if she actually…" Kai trailed off. "Maybe she just has too much to do, leading the Oni…"

"Do you think Wu will be back to his 'old' self now?" Nya asked, changing the subject. Zane thought about it.

"More than likely," He finally said. A few minutes later they could hear the echo of a distant dragon roar.

25


	26. Part 25

Nicki's Story

 _ **121**_

Heavy Metal headed to Keyda's quarters. The new leader hadn't come out all day, not even to eat. He shook his head as he thought about her; Keyda's threatening and no-nonsense manner had earned her respect throughout the Oni. But Heavy Metal knew she was cracking…if the lass carried on like this much longer she was going to fall apart completely. The realm was already on shaky ground without their leader crumbling.

He wondered if it had been wise to pick Keyda as a leader anyways…compared to many of the other possible Oni rulers, she was just a child. Plus, she was only getting more unstable. Yet she had some quality that the Baron never had. Heavy Metal frowned; he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about her that made him trust her, as young and irrational as she was.

He had reached her door at this point, and sighed when he found it locked tight still. He pounded the door.

"That's enough. Time to come out now." he said gruffly, but there was no answer. He glanced down and noticed purple aura coming out from under the door and sighed again. What on earth was she doing in there?

" _Keyda."_ he pounded the door again. She had always insisted on being called by her name, without any kind of regal epitaph attached to it. There was still no answer and he debated on whether he should work at getting the door opened himself or if he should just let her have her privacy. It was strange to even have the choice; under the Baron he would have never have dared. He stared at the door for a few more minutes and finally shook his head. He'd let her stew a little longer, then. But tomorrow, he wasn't gonna stand for this anymore. The vicious cycle had to end.

 _Cole_

Cole heard the Dragon roar from his place in the kitchen. He had been stirring batter with a large spoon, but he was finding that the more he stirred the harder the mixture was getting, until he was pretty sure he had somehow made cement.

At hearing the Dragon call, however, his heart nearly stopped. Had they finally come, then? He felt a wave a relief and he immediately headed for the door. He paused for a moment, glancing back at his cane leaning up against the counter. He finally turned away; his limp wasn't _that_ noticeable anyways. As he headed to the front door the others were coming down the stairs. Kai and Jay were both looking at him with some strange expression, but he decided to ignore it as he reached the open doors.

The Ultra Dragon was landing as they all made it outside. Cole pushed forward with the others, but he stopped dead outside the front of the temple as he could finally make out who was on the Dragon…and who _wasn't_.

"Wu!" Zane called as the rest of the group reached him. The now-elderly Dragon Master smiled softly as he decended.

"What took you so long?" Kai asked, and Wu chuckled slightly.

"Well, there was a lot to do in the first realm; I couldn't have left it before I did."

"How has it been? Is the peace union still holding?" the nindroid asked nearby. Wu nodded.

"So far. We have to walk on eggshells most of the time, but…"

"Where's Keyda?" Jay asked, and Wu fell silent for a moment.

"She's still back in the first realm. She didn't wish to join me on this visit."

The ninja shared a look and Wu sighed.

"How's Cole? Is he…"

"He's much better," Nya offered. "Basically back to normal…he's over there if you want to…"

She trailed off as she went to point, but the spot where Cole had been standing was now empty. Wu patted her shoulder.

"I'm sure I'll get a chance to talk to him later on…I'm glad to hear he's healing well."

"You must be hungry," Zane mused suddenly. "I will go get dinner started."

Wu smiled gratefully as his stomach growled.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Zane."

 _Keyda_

Keyda felt feverish. She shivered, still lying on the rug in her room. She was aware of the aura spinning around her, but she didn't understand it. She wasn't even feeling angry…or hatful. Mainly she just felt sick and empty.

She had just wanted to be left alone; but now the loneliness was crushing her. She shuddered. Was this going to be how she spent the rest of her life? Fighting to control something that she wasn't even sure _could_ be controlled? Would it really have been so bad to have gone with Wu?

She squeezed her eyes closed.

 _Cole_

The smell wafting on the breeze alerted Cole that dinner was ready, but he didn't move to climb down. Instead, he continued to watch the sunset in the distance. The view from the floating Island was always spectacular, and the fact that he was perched at the top of the pagoda only made it more so.

Technically, he wasn't supposed to be climbing for another month or so…but after three months of recovery he was ready to be fine again. He heard scuffling and he looked down to see the Ultra-dragon mauling some hedge on the grounds. He had a shadow of a smile as he watched; the gardener was _not_ going to appreciate that. They hadn't really chosen this base because of its ability to house a dragon…

His smile faded. He knew he should go down and join everyone. He should at least ask Wu…

But the thing was, he was pretty sure he already knew what the answer to his question would be. He shivered as the sun continued to disappear and the breeze became chillier. He couldn't even argue with her about how _stupid_ she was being when she refused to come! He knew his friends would say that it must be because she was too busy, or that the Oni couldn't be left as easily as the Dragons could…

She had never agreed to come. The more he had thought about it over the last few months, he had realized that. But he had just _assumed…_

 _Don't you get it Idiot? I want to forget you! I can't wait to forget you!_

He had thought she had said it because she didn't care, but after everything that had happened, he knew that that wasn't the case. So the only thing he could think of was that she _did_ care about him…but that she didn't want to. He chucked a pebble off the roof as the light of day faded out. He wasn't sure which reason was worse.

He finally stood up, stretching the stiffness out of his left leg. He was just going to have to convince Wu to take him back with him so he could talk some sense into her.

 _Keyda_

Keyda's eyes were still closed, so she wasn't aware that the aura was becoming more intense. In her mind, she was thinking back to her time in Ninjago. She had spent the last three months refusing to think about those few days, but she was too tired to fight it anymore. It was strange how vividly she could remember it all. The aura swirled faster and she pictured the last time she had seen Cole. She just wanted to see him one last time…

There was a flash, and the aura dissipated in the empty room.

 _Ninja_

"Wow, this feels just like old times," Nya said, tucking into the food that Zane had whipped up. The nindroid smiled, bringing the last pot of steaming vegetables to the table.

"Almost…" Jay argued with a mischievous grin. "Whatever happened to that flowered apron, Zane?"

The nindroid stopped, fixing Jay with an unamused look while P.I.X.A.L laughed.

"It seems I missed that…"

"Yes, well…I certainly learned my lesson after wearing it just once," Zane said, setting the bowl down and taking his seat next to his girlfriend.

"Hey, I don't remember a flowered apron…" Lloyd chimed in from down the table. He and his father had returned shortly before dinner was served.

"Eh…before your time…" Nya explained, helping herself to more soup. "But the food is just as good as it was back then!" she continued, flashing a grateful smile in Zane's direction.

"I agree, dinner has been wonderful Zane." Wu said. He had eaten quite a lot, causing the others to wonder what kind of food Wu had been living off of in the other realm.

"You'll have to take a hamper home with you," Misako offered, and Wu nodded his agreement.

"I don't know why Kai and Skylor felt the need to go out when they could have had this…" Lloyd said, but Jay just smirked.

" _I_ have a few ideas why…"

Everyone was laughing when Cole made his way into the dining room. Jay was closest to the door and he looked over at his friend.

"Where have you been? You'll be lucky if there's any dinner left at this point…" he trailed off as he noticed a tear in the leg of Cole's gi. He frowned. "What have you been up to?" he said, pointing.

Cole glanced down, unconcerned. He shrugged.

"Musta got caught on the way down." he said as he claimed an empty chair. Jay continued looking at him.

"Way down?" It finally clicked and Jay shook his head. " _Cole…."_

"Do me a favor and chastise me later?" Cole said, helping himself to some food. The table had grown quiet as everyone looked over at him, all wondering the same thing. He made a point of not looking at anyone and slowly the chatter picked back up.

Wu finished eating and looked over at the latecomer.

"I heard you're doing a lot better," he said. Cole filled his mouth and nodded, not looking over. Wu smiled. "That's good to hear."

The Dragon Master didn't know what else to say; he knew he should probably offer some reason for Keyda's absence…but there wasn't really any excuse he could give. She hadn't wanted to come, and that's all that would matter to Cole, no matter what her reason was.

Cole drained his glass and finally looked over at Wu.

"S'alright, Master. You don't have to explain her reasoning." The he said, as if he had read Wu's mind. Wu relaxed slightly, but then Cole continued.

"When I go back with you, she can explain it to me herself."

Wu sighed. He knew this was going to happen…

"Cole, she made it pretty clear that doing so wasn't an option…"

The Master of Earth stabbed a few spring rolls a little more viciously than was required.

"She should know by now I'm not very good at listening to her."

Wu decided to drop it; no need to have a fight here at dinner. He was here to find out how things were going. He turned to Garmadon.

"How have you been, brother?"

"Well enough," Garmadon said. "Lloyd and I have been doing a lot of traveling lately…"

There was a loud popping sound in the room, and the glassware tinkled as the table shook slightly. The conversation came to a stop as everyone looked around, trying to find out what had happened. A minute passed and there was a sudden whirl of purple aura down at the end of the table. Zane and P.I.X.A.L jumped up to get out of the way, and napkins began flying around.

"What the _heck?!"_ Jay yelled. If it wasn't one thing, it was another! Garmadon and Wu both stood, trying to figure out what the mass was. However, after another popping sound the storm disappeared, leaving a figure behind on the floor.

Everyone was frozen in shock, and it took them a second to recognize the unconscious person.

" _Keyda?"_ Jay said. Cole was already making his way to her side, brows knit.

"But…how…?" Nya asked.

"It seems to have been a realm jump, similar to the ones made by the Ultra Dragon…" Zane said, though he looked as though he couldn't reconcile that fact in his mind.

Cole tried to wake her up, but she was out cold. She looked a little different than she had when he had last seen her three months earlier. Her dusty and ragged clothing had been replaced and she wore expensive draping scarves. He picked her up and then turned to Wu with a confused expression.

Wu studied Keyda. "The Elder mentioned that the Oni used to be capable of realm jumping…"

"They came here looking for your father," Lloyd added, remembering the murals in the cave where he and Harumi had discovered the last Oni mask.

"Oni and Dragon power can cross realms," Garmadon confirmed. "Both together can create entire entryways between realms…"

"Yeah, I guess you have experience with that, huh?" Jay said dryly.

"But if she was going to come, why not just come with you?" Nya asked, turning to Wu. The Dragon Master looked at the figure in Cole's arms, remembering the conversation he had had with her a few days earlier.

"I highly doubt she meant to come at all…"

"What? So she's just _accidentally_ teleporting to other realms now?!" Jay asked. Cole looked down at her pale face, concerned. She had some kind of silver circlet around her forehead with a deep purple stone. Was she still not able to control her power then? He moved to leave the dining room.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked as he headed to the door. He turned around, frowning.

"To find somewhere for her to lay down…"

 _ **122**_

In her mind, Keyda was back in the first realm, back to the time she had failed to defeat a dragon in the arena. As she began to come to, she realized that someone was holding her. She flailed out with both arms and legs, but her assailant didn't drop her in the dirt like she had assumed they would. Instead, their grip became tighter.

 _"Keyda, calm down…"_

The voice brought her closer to consciousness and she stopped thrashing. She opened her eyes and it took them a moment to focus on the stern face. She frowned, her mind slowly catching up to the situation.

"He wasn't supposed to bring you back…" she muttered. Cole just shook his head.

"Back? Keyda, I didn't go to the first realm; you came _here._ You're in Ninjago."

She just stared at him, not comprehending. He slowly set her down on a couch and she looked around. She recognized this room…it was the same room she had woken up in, when that woman had come to offer her tea….

She began trembling. It wasn't possible…she couldn't have come here.

"Wu…he, he must have…"

Cole shook his head.

"Wu showed up earlier today without you. We watched you appear in the dining room a few…"

He trailed off when he caught her expression; she looked terrified.

"Keyds?"

She looked at him wide-eyed. This power inside her was taking over; she couldn't control it. Now it was taking her to other _realms?_ Cole continued to look at her, his expression becoming more troubled as she shook harder.

"I can't…I _can't…"_

He pulled her close and held her while she shook.

"It's gonna be okay…."

" _I can't fight it!"_ she said, her voice betraying both panic and resignation. He wasn't sure what she was talking about, but it was clear that coming here against her will had seriously spooked her. The anger he had been feeling towards her for the past month seemed to melt away as he held her.

"Then don't fight anymore," he murmured.

 _Ninja_

Everyone was sitting back at the table, but dinner had been forgotten.

"So…you think she subconsciously transported herself here?" Nya clarified, looking at Wu.

"She can't keep up with the rate her powers are growing," Wu explained tiredly. "And there isn't anyone who could teach her to control them." He rubbed his temples. "She's been at war with herself for three months…"

"What do you mean?" Zane asked. Wu sighed.

"She's been shutting down her feelings…becoming more apathetic…" he paused. "It's hard to explain, exactly. When I asked her to come with me to visit she wouldn't even consider it. It's like she didn't want to be reminded…"

"Oni power is tied to chaos." Garmadon mused. "It's fueled by strong emotions, similar to how Golden power grows from calm and inner peace. She must be trying to controlling her powers by shutting off the feelings themselves."

"I'm no therapist…but that doesn't sound healthy." Jay pointed out.

"It still does not explain why she would be transported _here…_ " P.I.X.A.L added.

"Perhaps it was her power's way of fighting back, sending her somewhere where she wouldn't be able to just shut off her feelings." Lloyd said. Jay shuddered.

"Fighting back? That makes it sound like the powers have a mind of their own…"

Lloyd swallowed, remembering the feeling of having Oni power coursing through him when he was wearing the gloves. "They…they kind of _do…"_

"But if she's been shutting down her feelings, what did her power tap into to get her here?" Nya asked.

They were all silent for a few minutes, thinking. P.I.X.A.L was the one who finally spoke.

"If she has been fighting _herself…_ then maybe she has a lot of pent up self-hatred…"

Wu clenched his jaw, remembering their argument a few days before.

"That may be it…"

"But how are we supposed to combat _that?_ " Nya asked.

"Gee…maybe she really does just need therapy…" Jay muttered.

"If her power sent her here, it must have thought there was someone here that could help," Misako said pointedly. Everyone subconsciously glanced to the door where Cole had carried her out.

"So…what? She just stays here until Cole teaches her enough life skills?" Jay asked, though his expression showed that he knew better.

"The Oni nation would not be able to survive an extended period without her…there would be a power vacuum." Wu confessed.

"But then the only other logical option would be…" Zane started to say, but Jay shook his head furiously.

"Look, it's bad enough that _Wu_ is trapped in the first realm…we can't just keep sending team members there! What if something bad happened to Ninjago? He can't just… _leave_! For what? Some _girl_?..."

Nya touched his arm and he looked over.

"It's gotta be up to Cole, Jay…" she started, but he shook his head.

"He's just going to make the stupid decision!" he argued. "He _always_ makes the stupid decision…"

"Wouldn't you make the same decision?" Nya pressed. "If it were me?"

He glared at her. "I hate when you do that…"

" _Wouldn't you?"_

Jay groaned in frustration. "Of _course_ I would, but…but this is different…"

"You know he really cares about her," Nya argued. "So it really isn't."

Jay deflated, feeling defeated. It wasn't fair…even after everything was going right there were still problems. He thought back to how miserable Cole had been the last few months. Jay had a sinking feeling as he realized that things were _never_ going to go back to the way things had been. The world was constantly changing, and this time things had happened that couldn't be undone as easily as a granted wish.

"It may all be a moot point anyways," Wu said. "Keyda was pretty adamant that they couldn't be together. She may not let him come."

"He's a stubborn guy…he'll find a way there anyways." Jay said with a sigh. "At this point, the only question really is: who's gonna tell Lou?"

 _Cole_

Cole didn't dare move; Keyda had fallen asleep clinging to him. He realized how exhausted she was; her eyes had dark circles under them and sometimes she cried out in her sleep. She had become so fragile…what had happened these last few months?

He had already made up his mind. No way was he letting her go back by herself, not like this…he was going, whether she wanted him or not.

 _ **123**_

Lou blinked, taking in the news. Cole waited for his father to explode or tell him that he was being ridiculous. Instead, the performer looked thoughtful as he looked over at the figure still asleep on the couch. He finally looked over at his son and laughed at Cole's expression.

"What are you waiting for me to say, son? It's not like this is the first time you've left."

Cole winced at that. Seemed like his old man had gone for guilt tripping, then. Lou continued, his voice having softened.

"I suppose we were always better at _long_ distance relationships…"

The guilt twisted deeper and Cole put a hand on his father's shoulder.

"I'd come to visit…I _promise…_ and it's not like I'd be there forever, just until…" his words died in his throat. He had no idea how long he'd be gone…he just knew that he needed to do this.

Lou patted his hand, eyes misty. "It…it doesn't make much sense, I suppose…" here he gave his son a smile. "But like I said before, sometimes life doesn't make sense."

Cole hugged his father and Lou sniffed loudly.

"Maybe…maybe sometime I could visit _you…_ come back with Wu at some point or another…"

Cole laughed.

"You could teach the Oni how to dance…they sure could use some new hobbies right now…"

His father joined in his laughter. "I'm not sure if beings of destruction would make the best pupils…"

"If anyone could whip them into shape, Dad, you could." Cole swallowed, trying to keep the emotion out of his throat. His Dad was right…this wasn't the first time he had left, and they had spent nearly the whole last decade with only letter correspondence and a few visits. But this time, their pending seperation felt more _real._

"I'll come back in a few weeks…to see your play…" he said.

Lou smiled again, mustache quivering. "I'd like that."

 _Kai_

Kai and Lou had gotten to the temple around the same time. But as Lou went in to talk to Cole, Kai went to the kitchen to rummage up some dessert. On his way, he caught everyone still at the dinner table, talking in intense tones.

"Uh…hey guys, what's up?"

Everyone looked back at him, and Jay just shook his head.

"You might wanna sit down…"

Kai sat, confused.

"Why? What'd I miss?"

 _Keyda_

" _No."_

Keyda had woken up feeling more like her old self, and she glared at Cole. He didn't look concerned.

"Look…you can pretend you don't care…"

"You. Aren't. Coming. I wasn't even supposed to be here….it was a _mistake."_

She was standing, arms crossed. Her circlet was skewed on her head and it was making it hard to take her seriously; she looked like an angry child playing dress up.

He shook his head, not sure why she was being so difficult. He stood and made a show of stretching before heading to the door.

"Then I'll stay with Wu and the dragons." he replied, unconcerned. She stared at him as he left the room. She let out a huff and followed him.

"You can't stay with Wu without my permission—part of the whole _united_ leadership!" she spat. He was headed to a nearby window; she watched in disbelief as he pulled it open and climbed out of it and started up the side of the temple.

She threw her head out, yelling after him.

" _What_ are you _doing?!"_

In the dim early-morning light she could just make out his smile.

"Climbing."

She rolled her eyes, pulling off the scarf that was draped around her shoulders before climbing out after him. She huffed in annoyance when she caught sight of his smug expression.

"Are you even _supposed_ to be climbing right now?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" he was a few levels up, and she lifted herself onto another ridge of the roof.

"Three months ago you were dead." she reminded angrily. He didn't respond; he had already reached the top. She blew a strand of hair out of her face, irritated, and sped up her climb. When she reached the top he was sitting on the other side of the slanting roof, his back to her as he looked out into the distance. She came to sit next to him, angry at him for leading her up here and angry at herself for following.

"What on earth are you…" she started, but he shook his head.

"Just wait."

She wrapped her arms around her knees, frowning as she glared out into the distance. The sun began inching up, and she couldn't help but watch in awe as the growing colors and light gave definition to the breathtaking landscape below.

After ten minutes or so she turned to him. He had a calm smile on his face, like he somehow knew everything was going to be fine. She wished she could feel so sure.

"Why would you even _want_ to leave here?" she finally whispered. "It's so beautiful…and you'd be leaving _everything…"_

He looked thoughtful.

"It is an amazing realm…I mean, its _home._ I've got my father….my friends…" here he turned to look at her. "But no matter _what_ great things it had, this realm would always be missing someone."

She looked away and he continued.

"My sensei…Master Wu."

Her head whipped back around, incredulous. He caught her expression and made a show of thinking deeper.

"On second thought…there's also my Elemental dragon…"

He glanced over at her disgusted look and finally laughed.

"What?! Who did _you_ think I was talking about?!"

She shook her head. "Just shut up already."

He continued to chuckle and she made sure not to let her angry expression slip. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Keyda could see the Ultra-Dragon in the distance, flying free in the pale pastels of morning.

Cole reached over and touched her hand. Her brows furrowed and she moved her hand away. He shook his head.

"Look…I _know_ I've made a lot of mistakes…a lot of bad decisions. But going back with you…Keyds, _that isn't one of them_."

She took a while to respond. When she finally did, her voice was quiet and she wouldn't look at him.

"I can't let you come."

" _Let_ me? Why is everything about letting me do something? Why can't I just do something because _I_ want to?!"

She looked at him then. He looked like he wanted a real answer, so she leaned in to whisper.

"Because you're an Idiot."

He smiled, but she caught a glimmer of something in his calm expression…it looked like something in between uncertainty and fear. He swallowed before he spoke again.

"Yeah…an Idiot who loves you."

Her stomach lurched and she could hear her heart in her ears. She was kicking herself mentally; _how_ did she keep finding herself in these situations?! Why did she let him do this?

" _Why…"_ she started, but trailed off. She didn't even know what to say.

He swallowed again before giving a self-conscious chuckle, running his hand through his hair.

"I…I just promised myself I'd tell you the next time I saw you…"

Logically she needed to leave. She wasn't even supposed to be here, and she felt so jumbled inside. These feelings…s _he couldn't control them._ She needed to stay as far away as possible…but she felt rooted to the spot as she stared at him. He was still waiting for her reply, and she knew what she needed to tell him. She needed to get him to believe that she didn't care about him and that nothing he could ever do or say would ever change that. She needed him to believe that he meant nothing to her so he would move on with his life and stay _here._ But deep down she knew he would never believe her. She didn't believe herself.

He could see the inner battle that she was going through. He sighed.

"Who are you fighting with?" he asked softly. She closed her eyes, trying to drown out the voices of her demons.

"You wouldn't be safe…"

"I think I gave up "safe" the day I climbed the tallest mountain in Ninjago and met an old man on top of it," he said.

She swallowed. He still didn't _get it._

"You wouldn't be safe from _me."_ she finally said. "I'm a…I'm a mon…"

"Keyda, you are _not_ _a monster_." His voice was firm as he grabbed her hand. "You're an Oni…but there isn't anything wrong with that. You _are_ strong…but like someone once told me, no one ever said that being strong is something that you have to do all by yourself. There are some battles you don't _have_ to fight…" he reached out and touched her face, and she didn't pull away. He smiled at her as he continued. "After everything I've put you through…if you haven't destroyed me yet, then—trust me—you never will."

The soft pastels around them had shifted into a more golden color as the sun continued to rise. He was waiting for her answer, and as she studied his face the craziness inside her finally stilled. For the first time in a long time she felt calm…even at peace. She had finally made her decision.

She leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back and began laughing in relief, and she couldn't help but join in as a dragon roared in the distance.

 _ **Epilogue**_

The applause was deafening; not only was the performing arts center packed, but everyone rose for a standing ovation. Jay turned to Zane, who was seated next to him.

"I didn't know Ronin could act!"

"It was quite superb," The nindroid agreed.

Lou made his way out into the audience. Many people recognized him as the director/producer and stopped him to compliment his work. He always had a gracious reply, but his eyes were scanning the busy room, looking for someone in particular.

"Hey!" Kai waved him over, and Lou made his way to the aisle of ninja. They had abandoned their usual gi's for fancier "show-going" outfits, and he found that it was hard to recognize them and their dates without their brazen colorful attire.

"Your show was really well done!"

"That part with the crocodile though…"

"Did you write the songs yourself?"

He smiled as his son's friends gave their praise and answered their questions, but after a few minutes he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, but have you seen…"

"Pop!"

Lou whirled around to see his son standing behind him with a big smile. Lou returned it, feeling relieved and overjoyed that Cole had made it after all.

"Good job, Pop. It was really well done." Cole said, hugging his father.

"Well…the second scene could have had a bit more build up, I think…and the actor singing the first piece in act two went a _tad_ flat there at the end…" Lou said. Cole just laughed.

"It was _fine._ Honest, nobody noticed." he said, patting the director on the back. Lou smiled in response.

"Yes…people did seem to like it," Lou said, glancing around the room of happy, bustling show-goers. He finally seemed to notice the woman standing next to his son and offered a hand.

"Ah, Keyda, good to see you again."

The Oni looked a little overwhelmed at the amount of people in the room, but she accepted Lou's hand with a small smile. She definitely was looking better than she had that day she had shown up at the temple. She had her arm linked with Cole's and Lou looked at his son, who was wearing a suit with the same kind of Orange scarf that Keyda had draped around her shoulders. He certainly looked a lot happier as well.

"So things are going well?" he asked. Cole smiled.

"The Oni weren't too pleased at having an outsider around all the time…but they're getting used to the idea."

Lou shook his head. He didn't really know much about the people or the realm that his son was living in, but he hoped that everything would continue to be ok. It was good to see his son looking happy and healthy for the first time in a while; Lou supposed that was all he could really hope for.

"Hey, boulder-brain! Why didn't you sit with us?"

Jay and Nya had come out into the aisle as well, and Jay was crossing his arms in mock-irritation.

"We got here a little late…" Cole admitted. "You know, that inter-realm traffic and all…"

Jay rolled his eyes.

"Sure, sure…" He looked around, as if he was about to share something secretive. He leaned in and pulled a small device out of his pocket.

"Ah…what a nice…can opener?" Cole joked. Jay gave him a withering look.

"Ha, ha. You're hilarious. This is _actually_ the prototype that Borg and I have been working on." Jay slipped it back into his pocket. "Let's just say, when it's done, it will be a lot easier to talk your ear off again."

Cole looked confused, but Nya slugged Jay in the shoulder.

"Jay Walker…are you and Borg working on inter-realm communication?"

Jay shrugged uncommittedly. "I can neither confirm nor deny that statement…"

Lou moved backwards as more of the ninja made their way into the aisle to greet and catch up. He was sure there would be time a little while later to talk more fully with his son; right now he figured he should go make sure that Ronin wasn't pocketing more proceeds than had been agreed on. Before he left, he turned one last time to the group of friends, laughing and joking like old times. Things sure had changed for each of them, but change didn't always have to be a bad thing. He smiled; in fact, the future looked bright.

 _The End_

* * *

 _Author's Note_

As I've never written a fanfic before, I have no idea if it's normal or not to put an author's note at the end of one. In the end I just figured "what the heck, why not?"

To everyone reading this, I have to say that I'm super impressed. I honestly doubted that anyone but my cousin and sister would ever read this monstrosity of a story in its entirety…guys! It's over 600 pages and 215,000 words long! So to anyone who finished it, I'm really happy that you found it good enough to keep reading through that much content! (Or maybe once you got a certain amount into it you just figured you'd keep going for that happy ending. If that's the case sorry I made you wait so long lol.) It honestly wasn't ever supposed to be this long, but I didn't really know where it was going to go when I started and it just kept on going hahaha.

So it turns out I don't really know how to write Author's notes either, but I think this is where I do some "shout-outs." First shout out is to my super awesome cousin who told me to write this in the first place and was my biggest supporter/fan/agent/editor throughout the last 6 months. Plus she made tons of beautiful artwork for it so if you haven't checked that out on her tumblr you definitely should hahaha. Also a shout out to my sister Rach for reading and cheering me on. They both helped me immensely because I would bounce ideas off of them and some of the best scenes in the story were inspired by their ideas, so there you go.

Next shout out is to you people who are reading this. Honestly, who even reads the author's notes at the end of stuff? And the story too…thanks for reading that hahaha. I really appreciate all the reviews that have been posted over the duration of this story; my cousin and I have read and got excited over every single one so thank you for posting your thoughts. I'm gonna be honest, it's intimidating to be able to see that lots of people are reading but not having any idea what those readers actually think of what they are reading, so the reviews were nice little shots of affirmation.

Alright, I'm probably rambling at this point, but I also wanted to say that it was so much fun to write this that I couldn't help but write a few "background one-offs" for some of the characters. I just call it "the collection" and my cousin really wants to post those too so if you guys are interested those will be posted in the coming weeks. The updates will be a lot smaller but it was fun to sort of play around with the backgrounds of the Ninja, Keyda, and Echo and Antirock.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write and it's been nice having a project for the past few months.

Signing off,

-NP

 _EDIT: A lot has happened since we finished updating "Heart of the Oni". There is now a sequel called "Soul of the Oni", and "The collection" is complete. Please check those out as well if you get the chance! Thanks for reading!_


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